Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox
by Neon Majestic
Summary: He sought to retire his blood-soaked past. He came to a quiet little town intending to do that. But even as he makes friends and learns to laugh and smile again, fate has its own way of telling him that, sometimes, the past won't let you go so easily. High School AU; no ninja jutsu or tailed beasts included. Chapter 22, "Diplomacy," now available!
1. Welcome Wagon

_There are many legends throughout history that speak of individuals or groups who have spread terror across their geographical location, and further across the world, due to the nature of their actions or personalities. Two years ago, for exactly 365 days, one such group did just that, putting cities in a perpetual state of apprehension and making law enforcement and criminals alike tremble in their shoes._

_This group was known as the Kyuushingai—the Nine Terrors._

_Their name was well-chosen, for according to the stories, just one member of the Kyuushingai alone could hold his or her own against entire gangs and escape unscathed. One member alone could wipe out a whole squadron of fighters; working together, all nine could conceivably reduce a city to ashes in less than an hour. During their year of terror, people often speculated that if any two of the Kyuushingai were to clash directly, the immediate collateral damage would be absolutely catastrophic._

_Nobody knew the true identities of any of the Kyuushingai, or even had a concrete idea what any of them looked like. Speculations ran rife, certainly, but what was known for sure was that nobody who had ever seen any of them in action ever lived to tell the story. The best anyone had was a smattering of information here and there, but much of this was hearsay and rumor and could easily be dismissed as exaggerations designed to frighten and unnerve. The only three things the various stories agreed on were that the members of the Kyuushingai were of varying ages, that all of them used outlandish and ultimately deadly fighting techniques, and that their bloodbaths and acts of destruction occurred at night._

_For 365 days, beginning exactly at January 1 and continuing until December 31, the Nine Terrors cut a trail of chaos, agony and death from Kumo City in the northeast to Tani City in the far south. Everyone across the continent lived on edge, never knowing at what hour the Terrors might show up outside their city limits. Whenever sunset came on, parents would hurry their children indoors, conversations were held in hushed whispers, and police patrols increased in number and intensity. The few business-places that remained open at nights, such as restaurants or hotels, had their security teams doubled or tripled, and made a point of being extremely hospitable to every guest they hosted, in case one of those guests might turn out to be one of the Kyuushingai and cause a rampage if crossed. Among the many urban legends across the country was one that told of a waiter in Taki Town who, accidentally spilling some soup while serving a guest, was so freaked out that he might have unwittingly offended a Kyuushingai member that he had a nervous breakdown and had to be placed in a psychiatric facility thereafter._

_Then December 31 came and went…and just like that, as if they had never existed, the Kyuushingai ceased to be._

_Nobody knew what happened to any of the nine, whether they had been killed by vengeful enemies or by gangsters or cops who happened to get lucky, or if they had been captured by government agencies for use in black-ops missions, or if they had simply gotten bored of their razes and decided to call it quits. Likewise, nobody knew what it was that led to their year-long campaign stopping just when it did. All that was certain was that their memory, and the things they did in that one-year period, could not vanish from memory soon enough._

_Another year came and went, and in that time the stories of the Kyuushingai's exploits became the stuff of legend, impressive for such a short time-frame between their genesis and their vanishing. The stories were exaggerated, with details made up for the sake of creating excitement or fear in the hearers, mostly saying that the Nine Terrors were ten feet tall and 400-pound muscle-bound warriors who wielded the type of exotic weapons that could only exist in the realm of fiction. Some stories claimed that the group's members were wild-eyed, cannibalistic blood-drinkers who ate babies and children just because they could; others rumored that the Terrors could kill you so quickly that you wouldn't even realize you were dead until after they pointed it out to you. Although the official death toll from their year of activity was 247, the exaggerations attributed kills of over 1000 to them, or said that just one Terror was capable of killing 300 in a fortnight, or insisted that the official number was just a cover-up for a much higher body count that was no less than 2000._

_Regardless, the Kyuushingai vanished into the mists of the next 365 days' worth of time._

_And then…two years after the last reported sighting of the Kyuushingai…_

00000

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 1: Welcome Wagon**

6:45 p.m. The bus rolled into the terminal, gently slowing to a complete stop, and a short while later the passengers disembarked, clutching their bags and other valuables. Heading out of the terminal, or meeting with family and friends who had been awaiting their arrival, the passengers who had been sitting together in solidarity hours before now dispersed, some to homes that they had not seen in weeks or months, and others to hail cabs that would take them to their reserved hotels or resorts. Just outside the bus terminal, a huge sign stood in just-sparking blue neon lights for everyone to see: "WELCOME TO KONOHA TOWN." This sign let the newly-arrived travelers know that their current location, the largest populated settlement in the immediate region, was a welcoming place and that they were invited to partake of its food and hospitality.

Among the new arrivals from the bus trip was a young man carrying a duffel bag over his shoulder. Unlike his traveling companions, he did not have anyone waiting for him, and he did not hail any cabs to take him anywhere. Coolly slinging the string of the bag over his shoulder, he walked out of the terminal, past the KONOHA TOWN sign, and along the sidewalk. He idly noted the rapidly-darkening sunset sky, barely acknowledged the cars zooming past on the roadway, and only casually noted that on the other side of the street were suburban houses adjoined to small businesses. Still, one of those business-places caught his eye, and he decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to go over there and see what they had to offer.

Crossing the street, he took in the sign above the store's doorway: _Yamanaka's Flower Store and Greengrocery._ Allowing himself a very faint smirk, he pulled the door open, noting that doing so rang a bell at the top of the doorway. "Hello?" he called.

The store proprietor, an older man with dirty-blond hair, was sitting at the cash register reading a newspaper in a somewhat bored manner. He glanced up at the newcomer's approach, but the impassive expression on his face didn't change. "Evening, young man," he spoke up. "How can I help you?"

"Got any fresh onions, pops? Also, I want a bouquet of tulips, the reddest ones you've got," the young stranger replied.

The owner nodded his head toward the back of the store. "I've got a rack with onions down there; pick whatever you like. I'll get the tulips for you." For the first time, he chuckled. "Going to go impress a girl? Maybe cook for her?"

"Maybe." The younger man's face remained neutral as he walked toward the back of the store.

Shrugging, the other man reached beneath the counter and pulled out a pair of gardening shears—and just at that moment, the doorway-bell rang again as the door was pulled open, this time by a trio of young people. "Oi, Yamanaka!" one of them hailed the owner.

Yamanaka scowled. "What do you want this time?"

"Aww, is that any way to talk to friends, old geezer?" the lone female of the trio queried, pouting in mock disappointment. "Anyhow, we're here for the usual payout. Fork it over and we'll be on our merry way."

Yamanaka's grip on the shears tightened, as did the muscles in his jaw. "I thought I told you punks the last time, I'm not paying you another red cent. You're just a bunch of extortionists who ought to be locked up and the key thrown away."

The trio's first speaker scoffed. "Oh, really? Better watch your mouth, you old fossil, and do as we say right now," he said with warning in his tone. "Or have you forgotten who our boss is?"

"That's right," the girl spoke up with a leer in her tone. "A former member of the infamous Nine Terrors; that gang that caused so much carnage for a whole year, two years ago. That's not somebody you want to make an enemy out of, now do you?"

"Nine Terrors, my foot—a crook is still a crook no matter what label he puts on himself," Yamanaka snorted.

The third member of the group, who up to now hadn't uttered a word, took a step toward the counter. "Zaku, Kin, we're wasting time on this tired old reject," he growled through the bandages covering his mouth. "I say we just trash this place, take what we want, and get out of here."

In an instant Yamanaka came around the counter and confronted the three, holding the shears tightly. "Just try it, you little pukes! Get out now!" he snapped.

"Ooh, look, Dosu, you made him mad," Zaku chuckled. "Better be careful with those things, Yamanaka; you could have an accident with them or something."

Kin tossed her hair back contemptuously with one hand. "Don't try anything, pops, or we might just tell our boss. And then what'll happen to you and your wife and daughter, you think?" and her companions snickered a little as she added this.

"Last chance. Hand over the payment without a fuss, or get ready to get hurt. Everybody else on the block chooses to pay up—why rock the boat, right?" Dosu remarked.

"Screw you, punk." Yamanaka gritted his teeth.

Dosu shrugged. "Feh, whatever. Zaku, get the cash register."

Zaku nodded and stepped toward the counter. In an instant Yamanaka rushed at him, ready to stab him with the shears—but even more quickly Kin intervened, grabbing Yamanaka's upraised wrist with one hand and sending a punishing knee into his gut. Yamanaka let out a gasp of pain as the shears fell out of his grip, but he barely had time to register what had just happened before Kin grabbed the back of his head and shoved him face-first to the ground, following up with stomping her foot on his head to pin him to the ground. "Too slow, geezer," Kin said mockingly.

_Clutter, clutter!_

In a moment the three thug's attention was drawn to the noise of a vegetable rack being stumbled into. Dosu promptly stalked to the back of the store. "Well, well, what have we here?" he said in singsong as he came from behind the aisle a moment later, clutching the stranger by the hair and roughly dragging him along.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Hey, go easy on the hair, man! I didn't do anything!" the youth protested, struggling against Dosu's grip.

"Heeeeeey, he's kinda cute," said Kin, licking her lips.

"I've never seen him around town before. An out-of-towner, huh?" Dosu yanked the boy's head upward to force eye contact.

"Uh…yeah, yeah, that's it!" the boy nodded vigorously. "C'mon, just go easy, would you? I don't know anything about this!"

"Urgh…leave him alone!" Yamanaka attempted to get up, but Kin stomped on his head again, forcing his face down on the floor, and he flinched and grunted in pain as his face made hard contact with the tiles.

"I didn't tell you to move, now did I?" Kin spat at the store owner.

Zaku, meanwhile, was taking cash out of the cash register. "One hundred…one hundred and thirty…one hundred and seventy…two hundred…two hundred and twenty…two hundred and fifty…yep, that's about right," he announced.

"Take another fifty out of there, just for time wasted," Dosu snorted, and Zaku complied. "So, then, we've taught Yamanaka a lesson…how about this punk?" Dosu continued, indicating the young stranger.

"C'mon, can I have him? I'll keep him as a good pet, I promise!" Kin put on a cute-sounding voice full of pleading. "I'll feed him, and take him for walks, and…"

"Oh, shut up," Dosu growled. "That's just a waste of time. But…" Here he forced eye contact with the boy again. "Hey, kid, since you're new in town, let me give you a little piece of advice. Anywhere you see us, or anybody else that works for the former Nine Terrors boss, Mizuki, you bow down and pay us homage. Like so—get on your knees and kiss my feet. Now!" And he promptly shoved the boy to the ground.

"Y-y-yeah! Got it!" The youth promptly got on his hands and knees and proceeded to shower Dosu's sneakers with kisses.

"Well, at least _he_ knows how to obey," Zaku chuckled. "See that, Yamanaka? You could learn a thing or two. Take notes for next time."

"Let's go!" Dosu ordered, kicking the groveling boy aside as he stomped toward the door. Zaku and Kin followed shortly after, leaving Yamanaka and the boy in the store.

"Ungh…damn punks…" Yamanaka grimaced and put a hand to his mouth as he slowly got up, leaving a small trail of blood and saliva dripping from his lips. "You all right there, boy?"

"Uh, yeah…" The boy stood up as well, and then took in the older man's face. "Aw, geez, you're bleeding!"

"Oh, this?" Yamanaka indicated his bleeding mouth. "This is nothing—I've suffered worse injuries in my time. Although now, I'll have to find some way to make up for what those bastards stole…"

"A-HA! Got you in the act this time, you damn thief!"

The next thing the boy knew, someone charged at him with a heavy-looking object and swung it at his head with violence—then nothing but blackness.

**OoOoO**

"Ino, how many times have I told you—don't act so impulsively!"

"Sorry, Papa…I thought he was one of those guys who're always coming to extort money from us!"

The boy's consciousness swam back slowly, with the two voices penetrating the darkness of his senses. Opening his eyes gingerly, he became aware of a warm, damp feeling covering the throbbing ache on the right side of his head, and he gingerly reached up to touch it.

"Oh, you're awake now. Are you all right, boy?"

"Hmm?" The boy looked up to see Yamanaka's concerned face hovering over him. "Uh…yeah…I think so. What hit me?"

"That would be me…with a baseball bat." A second face came in the boy's line of sight, that of a girl around his own age with blond hair tied in a ponytail and a sheepish look on her face. "Sorry about that. I thought you were trying to rob Papa."

"Hmm…I kinda figured it's an ongoing thing, from what they said." The boy slowly sat up.

"I'm sorry you had to get involved in our problems, son." Yamanaka shook his head. "And to repay you for the whack Ino here gave you, I'll let you have what you ordered, free of charge."

"But—" the boy started.

"Never mind the losses; I can always make them back up. Money's not so hard to reclaim, as long as you work hard enough." Yamanaka gave him a look that was final.

"…I guess." The boy gingerly touched his aching head-injury. "But what was all that about…their boss being one of the Nine Terrors, or something?"

At that Ino's face darkened. "Yeah…he's the head extortionist." She looked away. "It started about three months ago. Mizuki and his gang came roaring into town, and he was claiming that he was one of the infamous Kyuushingai—the Nine Terrors—and everybody had better fear him because of that. Since then he's caused a lot of property damage and injured plenty of people who won't give in to his gang's demands. The cops don't even bother to come in response to any calls from this neighborhood anymore, because of them."

"Well…I know a bit about the history of the Nine Terrors…weren't they supposed to be some really scary fighters? This Mizuki guy doesn't sound like he matches up," the boy commented.

"That's what the police thought at first." Ino shook her head. "The first couple of weeks, they sent a lot of police teams to arrest him…he slaughtered the whole lot of them."

"She's right," Yamanaka took up the tale. "Ten cops brutalized by Mizuki and his gang in one night, another three killed and fourteen more critically wounded the next night…after a while everybody just decided it would be best if we just gave in to their demands. At least then, there wouldn't be any more unnecessary bloodshed."

The boy eyed him. "Except you, I'm guessing."

"Yes. Except me." Yamakana's eyes narrowed. "I've worked too hard and for too long to allow a bunch of criminals to reap everything I've sown. As long as I have life in me, I won't give these thugs the satisfaction of victory."

Now the youth lowered his eyes. "The Kyuushingai…modern-day bogeymen to children…living nightmares to adults…and they caused so much chaos in one year, according to the stories…"

"Yeah, and all of that was just two years ago. Everybody was on edge, and nobody knew when one of those nine bastards would show up on their doorstep." Ino scowled. "And now, one of them is in our own town, making trouble just because he can get away with it. Unforgivable!"

"But how do you even know this Mizuki guy is one of them? Nobody really knows what the Kyuushingai members looked like, right?" the boy inquired.

"The first night, when he killed those cops, he showed off a lot of proof," said Ino. "He had a tattoo on his chest, of a big number 9 and the artistic kanji for 'Kyuushingai' next to it. According to one of the stories about the Kyuushingai, they all had that kanji and a number from 1 to 9 tattooed somewhere on their bodies. At least we know now that THAT particular urban legend about them was for real."

"…I see." Again the boy lowered his gaze. "Well, this is quite a pickle. I came to this town after a long bus trip, and already I've run into problems before I've even had my first day here."

"Well, I'm sorry your first impression of Konoha Town was so bad, boy," Yamanaka said sympathetically. "But please take my word on this—this town has some bad seeds, sure, but there's a lot of good here too. You just have to know how to find them."

The youth chuckled. "For what it's worth, mister…I think this store you run has some of that good."

Yamanaka smiled. "Thank you." Now he stood up. "Well…I guess I'd better repackage your onions and tulips for you. Are you sure you're good to go where you're going?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm cool…it shouldn't be far from here, at any rate," the boy replied. "Thanks again for the first aid."

"You're welcome. And I'm sorry again for conking you," and Ino again appeared sheepish.

"Hey, you were trying to defend your dad. Nothing to it." The boy nodded at her.

**OoOoO**

A little while later, the boy had his onions and tulips packaged and given to him in a bag. "You're sure it's all right not to pay for these?" he queried as Yamanaka handed the bag to him.

"Never mind that. It's the least I can do to make up for your experience tonight," said Yamanaka. "Just hurry on home, is what you do. Sometimes those guys like to stalk the streets on their motorbikes, and they terrorize civilians for the heck of it."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." The youth hoisted the bag into a comfortable position under his arm, while slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder with his free hand. "Well, see you around!" And then he walked off up the sidewalk and was gone.

Ino and her father stood at the door, waving after the boy, and then turned to head back inside the store to clean up and close up—and only then did it click in either one's mind. "Hey, wait a minute…we never asked that guy his name, did we?" Ino exclaimed.

"Hmm…I suppose we didn't," Yamanaka admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, well, no big deal."

Ino looked out into the night worriedly. "I hope he'll be okay…with those guys out there…"

**OoOoO**

The young man trekked along the street, with his two burdens in hand. The throbbing from the blow Ino had landed on his head earlier had since subsided to little more than a memory; the cool night air worked wonders on one's health, without a doubt. Adjusting the duffel bag's string on his shoulder, he increased his pace a bit, not wanting to be any later than he already was to get to his destination.

The glare of headlights shining from behind him and the noise of motorcycle engines caught his attention. As he turned to look back, he beheld several bikers approaching him…then seconds later several of them shot past him, only to do U-turns and come again, now circling him.

"Well, well, well! Fancy meeting you again so soon, kid! I guess this really is a small world!"

He recognized Zaku's voice amidst the laughter of the bikers, and soon enough was able to pinpoint him, Kin and Dosu among the lot. "Hey, cutie-pie," Kin called to him, smirking and licking her lips. "Did you miss us?"

Dosu stopped his bike, as did the others, and alighted from his ride. "This must not be your lucky day, fella," he remarked. "We all came out because we wanted to have a little fun after conducting business today…and look who we find—none other than you. Maybe there _can_ be a mix of business and pleasure, after all, like they always say…" and his cronies snickered and sneered at their target.

The boy adjusted his duffel bag's string again. "Okay, guys, can I ask you something?"

"What's that?" Dosu wondered aloud, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, you guys sure know how to throw your weight around—you proved that with the old guy earlier this evening. But if it's not too much trouble, could you maybe find somebody else to start your fun with tonight and let me go home?" the youth asked him. "I mean, I don't have any beef with you, and you guys don't have any grudge against me. And why waste your energy on little ol' me when you've already proved you can push me around any time you want, right?"

Dosu smirked. "Trying to go for the easy way out, are you? Well, we _might_ consider giving you a break…in fact, we'll give you a break for the next three days if we should see you…on one condition. You have to play a game with us first, right here and now."

The boy beheld the faces of the bikers as their snickers grew louder. "A game?"

Zaku and Kin got off their shared bike and approached Dosu and the boy. "This is a game we happen to like a lot," Zaku chuckled. "The rules are, we beat on you for ten minutes, and if you can take it without crying, you win. If you cry out, we get to beat on you for another ten minutes for every cry you give."

"And if I cry out, when do you stop beating on me?" the boy asked.

"When we get bored." Zaku grinned sadistically.

"Don't worry, babe, we'll be gentle…during our warm-up," said Kin, and this drew more chuckles from the other bikers.

In one sudden movement, Dosu slapped the youth's grocery bag out of his hand, scattering tulips and onions to the ground. "Walking with onions and flowers? As if you weren't so much of a sissy already," he taunted. "Now…you just try and survive, got it?"

**OoOoO**

The red-haired woman sat at the dining table, eyeing the clock on the wall in the adjoining kitchen. "Where is that boy? He should have gotten here by now," she mumbled.

Getting up, she went to the stove and opened its oven, checking a covered bowl she'd placed there. "I'll have to reheat this…how bothersome…" she grunted.

The noise of the front door suddenly opening and shutting caught her attention. "I'm here, Mom!" she heard a familiar voice cry out, and then a moment later its owner came in.

The woman immediately turned on him. "Uzumaki Naruto! I expected you here two hours ago! Your dinner's gone cold…" Her voice trailed off as she beheld his appearance. "Goodness…what happened to you?"

She had good reason to ask—Naruto's face was bruised, his hair was messed up and full of dirt, his clothes were dusty and dirty and his jacket sported spots of blood, and his fingers and knuckles bore scrapes. The grocery bag he carried appeared to have been crushed, and the flowers peeking out from the top of the bag had definitely seen better days. The duffel bag he held in one hand had a weird combination of dust and water on it. Yet Naruto himself merely grinned in spite of all this, as though none of it even existed. "Hey, Kushina!" he greeted her.

"Don't 'Kushina' me, young man! It's Mom, or Mama, or Mother, or something similar!" Kushina snapped, walking up to him and grabbing him around the neck in a tight arm-lock. "Have you been fighting again? I keep telling you, boy, walk away from trouble if you can! You don't want to have to endure this kind of thing all the time, do you?"

"Hey, it's not like I go actively looking for trouble, old hag!" Naruto snapped, struggling to get out of his mother's grip. "It was a whole gang of punks—they're the ones who started it! I couldn't exactly run away, or anything!"

Kushina sighed and released her son. "Honestly, the number of times people have attacked you…it's like you've got a sign on your back saying 'Come Pick On Me.'" Then, on impulse, she turned him around and inspected his back. "Oh, wait, I guess not—it's just me."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Naruto growled.

"Well…at the very least, you got here in one piece. For that, I can be grateful," said Kushina, speaking more seriously now. "And you got tulips for me?" she added, eyeing the grocery bag.

"Yeah…and some onions too…" Naruto looked ruefully at the bag. "Those same guys who attacked me did some damage to them, too. Sorry about that."

"Eh, well, give it here. I'm sure I can salvage them somehow." Kushina took the grocery bag from Naruto. "Go clean yourself up. I'll heat up the ramen I prepared for you."

"Ramen?" Naruto was instantly attentive.

"I spent quite a bit of time making it for you, since I knew you were coming today," and Kushina smiled at him. "How does beef ramen with extra noodles and onions sound?"

"Sounds great after all I've had to put up with today!" Naruto gave his mother a quick hug. "Thanks, Mom! You're the best!" And then he hurried off to the shower, while Kushina watched his departure with the smile still on her face.

**OoOoO**

The gangsters lay all about the street, most of them bloodied and battered, some loathing to move due to the twisted and broken limbs and bones they had. Several had extremely battered faces, their blood seeping into the concrete where they lay. All around them, several of their motorcycles lay scattered about, some wrecked into unrecognizable scrap metal. Those who were conscious were just barely breathing, a few coughing up sickening mixtures of blood and bile as they held their tender midsections. One or two had their arms bent at impossible angles, while others were gingerly trying to touch their twisted and swollen ankles and knees.

Zaku was unconscious, sporting a still-bleeding wound to his head, more blood coming from his nose and mouth, and his right leg bent the wrong way altogether. Kin was still conscious, but her face was horribly scraped, her left arm lying uselessly on the ground as she tried to move her body, and pain wracked her back due to having had her spine slammed into. Dosu's facial bandages were soaked in blood, his fingers bent at all manner of angles, and he coughed and sputtered in anguish even as the mangled remains of what used to be his motorcycle lay on top of his torso.

"Damn…damn…that guy…" Kin managed to speak out of bloodied lips, wincing for the pain speaking caused her. "What…the hell…was he…?"

Just then, the noise of rapidly-approaching sirens caught their ears…then police cars pulled up near the gangsters…then numerous uniformed cops were picking up those who could be picked up, while others were radioing the dispatcher for additional help.

**OoOoO**

The next morning…

"_Good morning, Konoha Town! It's 8:00, and time for your daily dose of 'Words of the Mighty Guy' with your host, yours truly, Maito Guy!"_ the radio announcer's voice blared on the bus for all the passengers to hear. _"Now, heading the list of local interest items—as you would've heard on the news, just last evening the police came across a number of gangsters, seventeen to be exact, all looking like a train had run them over, and in total all seventeen were admitted to hospital in serious condition. To make it even more interesting, all seventeen are supposedly members of that gang that's run by the former Kyuushingai member, Mizuki, who's been causing all sorts of chaos since he arrived in town three months ago."_

Yamanaka Ino listened to the announcer's speech with wide eyes, even as she unconsciously clutched her schoolbag closer to her.

**OoOoO**

"…_now, I don't know what happened, and apparently neither does anybody in the news media, since the cops are being pretty tight-lipped at this time,"_ Maito Guy continued his commentary on the radio. _"But this raises all sorts of interesting questions that I'm pretty sure you, the public, will want answered. Is there a new gang in town that's setting up shop and wants to dethrone Mizuki? Do these people, whoever they are, have enough firepower to take on a former member of the Nine Terrors? And what about the police—they've proven inefficient in stopping Mizuki and his gang already, so how are they going to be able to handle the gang war that's bound to happen from last night's brawl?"_

The teal-haired man reached over and shut off the radio sitting on the bedside table. "So that explains why Dosu and his little patrol didn't report in last night or answer my calls," the man growled. "So somebody was ballsy enough to pick a fight with my gang? Well…now they're going to have to deal with me directly. Nobody picks a fight with Mizuki and lives to brag about it!"

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 1

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: And here's the first chapter of my brand-new story, _**Kitsune no Ken.**_ This takes the characters from the _Naruto_ universe and puts them in a whole different setting, with no magical jutsu and no tailed beasts…so what, then, does it entail? Simply put, it's intended to take place in a high school alternate universe (somewhat similar to the _Naruto Shippuden_ special, "Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den"), but it'll be largely influenced by other anime/manga series from my experience, including and especially _Rurouni Kenshin _and _Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple;_ therefore, expect there to be plenty of action sequences and character development as time goes by!

And I know I'm going to get some flak from readers who had previously been reading my DCAU fanfics "Velocity" and "The Flash: 2055," which were ended without proper resolution. I have put an end to both due to personal convictions, and will write a wrap-up chapter for "Velocity" just as I did for "2055." Hopefully I may not have to do the same with this one, but if it comes to that I'll let you know and put down the notes on what I intended for this fic to come to.

Chapter 2 will soon commence! Stay tuned!


	2. The New Student

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 2: The New Student**

_Ding-ding-ding-dong! Ding-dong-dong-dong!_

The bell rang to indicate the start of the lunch period, and seconds later the classroom doors swung open, almost simultaneously, as students hurried from their classes to get to the cafeteria. Yamanaka Ino was among the swarm of students hurrying in that direction, although she didn't go exactly the same way—she had her own lunch with her, nicely wrapped, and she was heading for her own familiar place to sit and eat in peace. By and by, breaking away from the crowd of students, she went and sat in her usual spot, on a rock underneath a cherry-blossom tree, and proceeded to unwrap her food. As she did, she glanced over to one side and noted that the school's front-gate sign was nearby.

Konoha High School had been in operation since roughly two years after the town's initial inception, fifty-five years ago, and had a capacity for schooling over 800 students. Situated on approximately two hundred and fifty acres of land, the school boasted a multi-purpose field for track and soccer, an indoor court for basketball, and several buildings for classrooms, labs, the cafeteria, the library, and the general assembly hall. The school uniform for students was fairly straightforward: white shirts and black ties, dark blue jackets and trousers, and white socks and black shoes for the boys, and white blouses with blue collars, red neckerchiefs and black skirts, black knee-length socks and white shoes for the girls. There were many rules, chief among them a prohibition for fighting while on campus or while wearing the school's uniform. And, as with most other schools, Konoha High held academic excellence in great esteem, with many students over the decades entering into the wider economic world by virtue of their enviable marks in mathematics, science, and business studies.

All this Ino recounted with pride as she contentedly ate her lunch. She herself wasn't a genius student by any stretch of the imagination, but her grades were high enough that she had something of a celebrity status among her peers for being as smart as she was. Being counted among the Top 10 Most Beautiful Girls of Konoha High helped too, and she took pleasure in knowing that she consistently ranked in the top five of that group. So she was satisfied with her lot in life.

Or at least, she _would_ have been, if it wasn't for **that one issue…**

"Well, hello there, Ino-pig."

Ino tensed as the all-too-familiar voice spoke contemptuously behind her. Forcing herself to keep calm, she slowly turned to face the speaker. "Hello, Sakura," she said in as neutral a tone as she could manage.

The girl she now spoke to was Haruno Sakura, a pink-haired beauty whose pride and joy rested in the long locks she sported all the way down her back. She'd gotten the highest grades out of all the girls in their class last year, and she'd made it a point since then to lord that fact over Ino every chance she got. That Ino had only just missed out on getting said top grades by five points in the overall percentile score did not stop Sakura from thumbing her nose at the blond girl at every opportunity. But then again, Sakura had always been stuck-up and arrogant for as long as Ino had known of her existence; their schoolgirl rivalry only seemed to intensify with every new school term since that day when their scores were revealed at the end of last year.

"Eating alone again, piggy?" Sakura continued, chuckling. "And is that a pork sausage you've got? Don't tell me you've turned cannibal now?"

Ino's jaw tightened; Sakura just loved to take advantage of the fact that the other girl's name incidentally meant "boar" in Japanese. Of course, Ino was not one to fail of thinking about a suitable comeback for her rival. "Since when do you care what I eat, Great Forehead of China?" she asked casually.

She did not fail to notice Sakura's eyes narrow at that—if the rose-haired girl was ever self-conscious about one thing, it was the shape and size of her forehead, or at least how she perceived it. "Has anybody drawn targets on that head of yours lately? Because they wouldn't have a lot of wiggle room to actually MISS," Ino went on.

Somewhat unconsciously, Sakura reached up with one hand to brush a few bangs of her hair down over her forehead. "Touché, Madame Porker," she growled.

"If you've got nothing important to say to me, walk off and let me have my lunch in peace, why don't you?" said Ino. "Just try not to trip over your own head while you're leaving."

Putting her hands on her hips, Sakura opened her mouth to reply—but a shout from right behind her grabbed both girls' attention. "Hold it right there, punk!" someone was angrily commanding.

"Hey, hey, cool it!" another voice protested.

Ino's eyes widened. _That voice…_ Now totally ignoring Sakura, she jumped up and ran off in the direction of the voices, which she swiftly pinpointed as coming from a group of boys backing another boy up against a wall.

"Huh? Hey, where are you going? I'm not done with you, Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted, hurrying after her.

Tightly holding her lunch-box so as not to lose it, Ino pushed her way through the growing crowd to get a view of who the boys were surrounding. Immediately her eyes widened some more on seeing who it was. "You…!"

It was the same boy she'd mistakenly clonked with her baseball bat the day before, and now his eyes lit up in recognition when he saw her. "Ah, hey, Ino!" he greeted her. "I almost didn't recognize you in a girly uniform like that."

"Fine. I'm out of here. Bye." Ino swiftly turned on her heel and prepared to walk off.

"Hey, wait! Don't leave me here like this!" the guy cried out, reaching out to Ino—but then the boys who'd surrounded him blocked off any avenue he might have had to escape.

By now Sakura was approaching the group. "Oi, oi, what's all this here?" she demanded.

The other boys looked up and recognized Sakura. "Ah, Haruno-san!" one exclaimed. "This punk mouthed off to us, is all, so we're going to teach him a lesson."

"Hold it, hold it, hold it," Ino spoke up, pushing through the boys and coming near to their target. "Hey, what exactly happened?"

"Eh? What's this, Ino-pig? Is this guy your boyfriend or something?" Sakura asked mockingly.

"Shut up, forehead-girl! It's not like that!" Ino snapped at Sakura, fangs in her mouth.

But now another of the intended mob took a good look at Ino. "Hey, wait a minute…aren't you that girl whose dad won't pay dues to that Kyuushingai gangster?" he exclaimed.

Immediately the other students began to whisper amongst themselves, even as Ino cast a scathing look at the questioner. "Yeah, that's right. What of it?" Ino asked testily.

The questioner shook his head. "Guys, if you all wanna keep healthy, you better stay away from this chick—who knows when that Kyuushingai and his goons might come looking for revenge," he declared.

"Yeah, that's right!" another cried. "If they think we're connected to her, they might come after us! Let's get outta here."

The mob quickly broke apart and separated, leaving Ino, Sakura and the young man alone. "Hmph…bunch of cowards," Ino growled.

Sakura, on the other hand, was looking at the boy. "Hey, you, I haven't seen you around here before. Are you a new student?" she asked.

"Ah—yeah, yeah, that's me, new and all. I've transferred from Uzushio High School, over from Whirl City. It's my first day here today," the boy replied, rubbing the back of his head with one hand and busting out a big grin as he held out his other hand for Sakura to shake. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura ignored his hand. "Well, then, Uzumaki Naruto, if you're smart, you'll take some good advice and keep away from anyone having anything to do with that Kyuushingai gangster," she told him, casting a smug smirk at Ino as she said this.

Ino whirled to face Sakura. "I've always known you to be a snotty bitch, but since when do you back thugs and extortionists?" she demanded.

"What? You mean you really don't know?" Sakura lifted a surprised eyebrow. "Just about everybody knows that your dad's store is the only one that doesn't willingly pay dues to Mizuki and his gang like everyone else on your block—and everybody knows that because of that, your dad's store has been attacked more often than any other, especially lately. I don't agree with what those guys are doing, of course, but this is a Kyuushingai member we're talking about here. Haven't you heard that just one of those Nine Terrors is able to level a city block in seconds if you upset them enough?"

"I don't care about that. A criminal is still a criminal." Ino tossed her hair back in defiance. "And anybody who rolls over for guys like Mizuki is a coward."

Sakura shrugged. "Well, if you want to make yourselves martyrs, that's your business. Just leave the rest of us who actually want to continue living out of it." Then she turned and walked off.

"Stuck-up forehead-girl…" Ino muttered under her breath.

"And she didn't even shake my hand…" Naruto looked crestfallen.

"Hmph! Trust me, Naruto, you're better off outside of _her_ company." Ino then regarded him. "By the way, you never mentioned you were going to be a transfer student here at Konoha High."

"Eh? Well, yeah…I guess that never came up, what with all that happened with the gangsters yesterday," Naruto admitted.

Ino frowned in deep thought. "Y'know, Uzushio High's a pretty good school over in that section of the country, from what I've heard of it," she commented. "What would make you transfer from there to come here? Of course, mind you, Konoha High's the best school ANYWHERE, so naturally everybody wants to come here," she added importantly.

"Yeah, Uzushio's decent on its own," said Naruto. "It just wasn't for me, though. One year there was more than enough, I think."

"Really? What happened?" Ino inquired.

"Eeeehhhh…just a lot of crap I'd rather not rehash. The past is past, right? What matters now is what's ahead." Naruto grinned and shrugged.

Ino cocked an eyebrow at the obviously evasive response, but decided not to press the matter further. "Okay…well, anyhow, if you want to get a tour of Konoha High, I could always show you around," she offered.

"Really? Thanks!" Naruto's face brightened at that.

"After lunch," Ino added, holding up her lunch box. "Have you eaten yet?"

As if in reply, there was a sudden loud rumbling noise. Sheepishly, Naruto glanced down at his stomach. "Eh…not really…the cafeteria was too crowded for me," he replied.

Ino shook her head. "It's still early—hurry and go get something to eat," she urged him. "Personally, I recommend the pudding—hurry and get it before it sells out too fast."

"Gotcha!" With that, Naruto hurried off.

Shaking her head, Ino walked back to the rock where she'd been sitting before, and settled herself again to continue her lunch. But as she picked out her chopsticks to eat, new thoughts swirled around in her mind. _Actually, Uzushio High School has an even more impressive history than Konoha High School, and it's been around longer and is much bigger…why WOULD anybody transfer from there to go elsewhere? They'd get probably the best education in the immediate area at that school…I wonder what must have happened there to make Naruto transfer after a year? Hmm…is there any tactful way to find out from him, I wonder?_

Just as quickly, though, she shrugged the idea off while she plopped a piece of sausage into her mouth. _Ah, well, that's all right. There's no rush to find that out. And it's probably not all that important, anyway._

**OoOoO**

The doctors and nurses at the Konoha Hospital were on edge. Normally, one would think that in the kind of environment they worked in, with numerous victims of gunshots, knife wounds, bludgeoning, and traffic accidents, plus several cases of suicides and self-harming, they would have been desensitized to the feeling of fear by now.

What they weren't used to, however, was the experience of being held hostage by several armed men, some wielding baseball bats, large chains, and iron pipes, and others clutching pistols. Bizarrely, none of the staff or patients was being robbed; they were simply being held in place, with the security guards having been forcibly put out of commission and held captive with their own weapons.

And while the thugs held hostages, their leader was in a hospital wing, going from one room to another in swift succession, talking with his wounded lackeys, as he was now doing with the just-now-conscious Zaku. "Zaku…get with the program," Mizuki whispered harshly, lightly slapping the youth on the cheek.

"Uunnh…b-boss…sorry…" Zaku managed to get out.

"Who did this, Zaku? Describe them to me. Now." Mizuki's tone brooked no argument.

Zaku's eyes closed as he tried to fight off the ongoing pain of his injuries. "Blond hair…whisker-marks on his face…don't know his name…"

Mizuki's eyes narrowed. That was the same description Kin and Dosu and several of the other hospitalized punks had given to him minutes earlier. "Where did you meet this guy?"

"Rrrrrgh…Yamanaka's…Yamanaka's shop…" Zaku flinched as a fresh stab of pain hit him.

Mizuki scowled. "Yamanaka, huh? Well…that just makes things a little easier."

**OoOoO**

Later that afternoon, after school, Naruto walked along the sidewalk with his book-bag slung over one shoulder. "Well, the first day was just so-so," he mumbled aloud. "Not all that exciting…"

Presently he glanced up—and right across the street from his current position, there was a miniature yellow castle, with a big hamburger sitting on the top of the roof and the words _Burger Castle_ positioned in big blue letters beneath the burger. "Burger Castle, huh? Never heard of that place…must be a local," he remarked. "Ah, well, why not? I'll just check it out and maybe have a snack before dinner…Mom will never know!"

So saying, he hurried across the street and entered the restaurant, where he was greeted by a smiling female server. "Welcome to Burger Castle!" the girl spoke up cheerily. "Let us cater to your comfort!" she added as she escorted him to a seat and gave him a menu. "Take your time and go through our menu—we've got choices for every dietary need and every appetite!"

"Uh, gee, thanks," Naruto chuckled, and with that the girl left him to his own devices.

Settling back into the comfortable seat, and briefly admiring the cool and calming atmosphere provided by the blue-tiled walls and the few potted plants strategically placed throughout the eatery, Naruto soon turned his attention to the menu and pored through its contents. "I wonder what the fish-burger's like," he muttered.

The noise of the front door banging open loudly caught his ear, and just as suddenly the animated chatter that had filled the eatery moments before was stilled. Heavy footsteps stomped over to the seats directly behind Naruto, and through the corner of his eye he saw two heavy-set and heavily-tattooed men settling in. "Hey, waitress, c'mon over here and serve us!" one of them bellowed. "We're customers too, aren't we?"

The same server who'd greeted Naruto now came over to the men's table, but her demeanor wasn't quite so cheerful now. "Uh, welcome to Burger Castle," she said carefully. "Here are your menus…"

The men took the menus from her and quickly scanned through them. "Give us the chili-burger special, with extra fries," the second man now spoke up. "And make it snappy!"

"Y-yes, sir," the girl replied, turning to leave—and then she gave a yelp of surprise as one of the two reached forward and gave her a hard slap on her rear. Her face turned red and she hurried off a little more quickly than before, while the two guys laughed loudly.

Frowning, Naruto nonetheless lowered his head and studied the menu a little more. As he did, though, he couldn't escape hearing the men's ensuing conversation. "So, ready for tonight?" the first guy asked his companion, in a low tone.

"Oh, you know it," the second guy replied, a grin evident in his voice. "The boss is gonna make sure Yamanaka pays for the guys that got sent to the hospital last night."

"The boss was always good at milking every plan for everything it's worth—after tonight, he'll really be cemented as a past member of the Kyuushingai!" the first guy chuckled.

"Shh, cool it with that—you want anyone to find out?" his companion hissed a rebuke at him. "Anyway, here's our food now…" and he indicated a male server coming with two plates containing their orders. "Thanks, pal. Just put 'em down and let us have some space to eat, you got it?"

"Y-yes, sir!" The server immediately put down the plates and moved away from the men as fast as possible.

The thugs immediately began to dig into their food, eating noisily, and those close enough to hear their sounds didn't dare make a noise of complaint. In what seemed no time at all, the men were finished, and with a flourish they jumped up and stalked out—and not one of the staff was brave enough to call them back to pay for their meals.

"Looks like this is gonna come out of my pay again…" The server who'd given the thugs their food sighed in lament—and then became aware of Naruto beckoning to him. "Uh, yes, sir?" he asked, putting on a half-smile as he hurried over.

"Sorry, but I'm ready to order," said Naruto. "Let me have a fish-burger with pickles and onions, to go…and do you have sodas in the glass bottles?"

**OoOoO**

"Papa! Where are you?" Ino called out as she entered the store.

Having been taking stock at one of the shelves, Mr. Yamanaka looked up. "Ah, welcome home, Ino," he greeted her. "How was school today?"

"Pretty all right," Ino said casually, putting her school-bag to one side on the counter. "You know, that boy from yesterday—I saw him at school today! He said he transferred here from Uzushio High School."

"Oh?" Mr. Yamanaka looked at his daughter with interest, at this information. "And did you show him around the school?"

"Uh, not really…we're not in the same class, so I didn't really get much of a chance to do that," Ino admitted. "But it's weird…"

"What is?" her father asked.

"Well, Uzushio High is a pretty nice school—why would he transfer from there to come all the way here?" Ino wondered.

Mr. Yamanaka opened his mouth to answer—but suddenly his expression changed. "Ino…"

"Eh?" Hearing the change in his tone, Ino looked at her father with some surprise, only to realize he wasn't looking at her, but past her and through the window. She turned her head to follow his gaze, and was at once rewarded with a sight that made her turn pale: a crowd of menacing-looking men and women walking out of various alleyways across the street, hopping fences, and coming from both ends of the road, all congregating outside the store, wielding various types of weapons ranging from bats to pipes to chains to bricks and rocks. "Uh, Papa…"

"Get behind me, Ino. Now!" Mr. Yamanaka ordered.

"YAMANAKA!" a voice shouted from the crowd outside. "GET OUT HERE NOW, OLD MAN, BEFORE WE BURN DOWN YOUR SHOP!"

Ino's face was full of alarm. "Papa, don't…"

"It's all right, Ino. Just stay in here and stay out of sight." Mr. Yamanaka patted her on the shoulder and steered her toward the back of the store. Then, reaching behind the sales counter, he pulled out a crowbar and walked out the front door, meeting the glares of the gathered gang with a glare of his own. "Here I am. What do you want?"

At the front of the crowd, looking large and in charge compared to the rest, was the leader Mizuki, with his hands crossed over his chest. "Good, you're out here now," the teal-haired gangster addressed Mr. Yamanaka. "I'll get right to the point. The blond guy who was here with you last night—where is he?"

"I don't know. He just showed up here to buy some stuff, and then he left." Mr. Yamanaka's grip on the crowbar tightened. "Anyway, isn't it enough that you and your goons give me trouble all the time? Leave my customers out of it."

"Nothing doing, geezer," Mizuki shot back. "That punk caused some of my gang to get put in the hospital. You know what that tells me? That tells me that he's got some serious backing somewhere, if my people get put in the hospital after running into him. And this town isn't big enough for two gangs to rule. Now…" Here he reached into his jacket and whipped out a wicked-looking hunting knife. "I aim to have blood for blood, see? So if I can't find that guy right away, I'll just start with someone he's had dealings with. And that would be you."

"Just try it." Mr. Yamanaka shifted the crowbar a little.

"Your funeral, chump. GET HIM!" Mizuki shouted.

Four gangsters promptly bounded forward, yelling loudly. Mr. Yamanaka lifted the crowbar with both hands and swung forward, just barely missing the attackers' heads and causing two of them to step back swiftly—but the other two wasted no time, one tackling him in the stomach and the other going for his legs, which resulted in him falling hard on his back on the sidewalk. As the older man winced from the sudden impact, the remaining two attackers dog-piled him and began to rain blows on his person.

"_Get off my dad!"_ a voice screeched out, seconds before Ino rushed out of the store with her baseball bat in hand and swung it at the head of one of the attackers. Her assault was rewarded with a heavy _crack_ and a grunt of pain as that assailant fell to the ground…but before Ino could raise the bat again, three more gangsters rushed out from the group and grabbed her, wrestling her to the ground and grabbing the bat away from her.

"Damn it…Ino…I told you to go and hide…" Mr. Yamanaka reproved his daughter, even as his face swelled from the beating he'd just gotten.

Mizuki smirked and stepped forward, eyeing Ino even as she struggled against her captors. "This is your kid, huh, Yamanaka?" he asked. "Hmm, not bad…she looks pretty sweet…"

"Don't go near my daughter, you animal!" Yamanaka made an attempt to get up, but the gangsters holding him down promptly responded with hard blows to his chest and stomach, forcing him back down on the ground in pain.

"Ungh—get off me!" Ino shrieked, kicking out against the gangsters holding her as hard as she could despite them holding her by her legs and around her neck.

"Don't worry…we've got plenty of time to have fun with you two," said Mizuki. "Right now, though, we're going to teach you a lesson and send a message out there—that nobody screws with Mizuki, former Kyuushingai." He nodded to one of his men. "Torch the place."

"NO!" Ino and her father cried with one voice, but amid their protests and renewed struggles, the appointed gangster reached into his jacket and produced a bottle with a piece of cloth stuffed into its mouth. Pulling a lighter out of another pocket, he lit the cloth and then lifted the bottle…then took a step forward and raised the makeshift explosive in preparation of throwing it…

…and suddenly a glass bottle was thrown from somewhere, clonking the guy the head and knocking him down. As the others watched in suddenly-caught astonishment, the offending bottle, which astonishingly hadn't broken from the impact, fell to the ground with a loud clinking noise.

"What the…!" Mizuki stared in amazement at the thrown bottle, then turned his gaze in the direction from which it had come. "Who…?"

"Man, what a waste of a good soda bottle."

All eyes turned in the direction of the speaker, and beheld a blond-haired youth in a school uniform, holding a burger in one hand. "Looks like I'm just in time; the party hasn't started yet," he remarked, as he lifted the burger to his mouth and took a bite. "Those two gangsters I ran into were telling the truth, after all."

"Naruto…" Ino breathed.

"Ungh…get out of here, kid! They'll massacre you!" Mr. Yamanaka managed to shout at the boy.

Mizuki's eyes narrowed as he beheld the newcomer. "Blond hair…whisker-marks on the face…" He snarled. "So it was you, wasn't it? You helped put my guys in hospital. Well, I guess I should thank you for saving me the trouble of burning this whole town just to find you. After I'm done with you, then whoever you got to help you beat up my guys will be next on my kill-list."

Naruto took another bite of his burger. "You're talking about the guys on the motorbikes from last night, aren't you?" he asked. "Eh, well, it's true that I met up with them last night. I just did the best I could to get away from them, that's all."

"Cocky, aren't you?" Mizuki spat. "You don't seem to realize what kind of mess you're in, do you? You're talking to Mizuki, one of the Nine Terrors from two years ago! And this is my gang!" he added, making a sweeping motion with one arm to denote the thugs with him. "There's only you by yourself, against all of us! You think you'll be able to get away from us without a scratch, punk?"

"I don't know." Naruto shrugged and took yet another bite of the burger. "Although I'm curious to know—are you really a past member of the Nine Terrors?"

"You doubting the boss's word, brat? Of course it's true!" one of the gangsters yelled at him.

"This guy slaughtered ten cops in one night!" another boasted, pointing at Mizuki. "What chance do you think you could possibly have against a monster like this?"

Naruto swallowed the morsel of food in his mouth. "Ten people in one night…that's all? For a former Kyuushingai, I'd think an entire city block in that time would be more realistic," he remarked.

"What'd you say, boy?" Mizuki asked dangerously.

"Naruto, you idiot, don't antagonize him any more!" Ino cried.

"Hey, I'm just saying, is all, based on the past stories," said Naruto. "But I can give him the benefit of the doubt—a year of being inactive after a year of chaos could get someone a little rusty. But can I ask you another question?"

"Grr…fine. One more question, then we butcher you," said Mizuki.

Naruto plopped the last piece of the burger into his mouth, chewed it quickly, and swallowed it. "When you were with the Kyuushingai…did you have a special nickname or codename that you were known by?"

Mizuki smirked. "Ha! Of course I had a nickname back then!" He boastfully flexed a bicep. "I was known as Mizuki the Death-bringer! And now I'm gonna bring death to YOU!" He turned to his gangsters. "Kill this sucker!"

Five of them immediately brandished their bats, pipes and chains and readied themselves as they leered at Naruto. "Ready to die, punk?" one of them demanded.

"You sure there's no way around this, guys? No way to settle this peacefully?" Naruto asked them.

"As if! Now die!" And with warlike cries, the five stampeded toward Naruto, and the two in the lead swung their bats at him—

—and hit nothing but empty air. "Huh?" they all said as one.

The next thing anyone knew, Naruto was in the middle of the group, picking up the soda bottle he'd thrown earlier. "Wow, you're a tough guy, aren't you? Barely a nick on you…the manufacturers did a good job!" he spoke to the bottle, as if having a conversation with it.

The gangsters nearest to Naruto immediately freaked out in shock. "WHAT THE HELL?" they all screamed in one voice, eyes wide and jaws dropping.

Mizuki, too was shocked. "Fast…"

"When did he…?" Ino began to ask.

"Grr…you son-of-a-bitch! Hold still!" the five attackers raged, turning back around and rushing at Naruto again…but as they launched their attacks, he seemed to dodge to one side, then jump behind them in the space of three seconds.

"Whoa…" Mizuki lifted an eyebrow. "He's definitely a quick one, for sure…"

Naruto was now flipping the bottle up and down in his hand. "Before you guys attack me again, I'll ask one more time. Are you sure we can't deal with this peacefully?"

"Screw you!" the gangsters exploded. "Let's get him! Everyone together, attack!" And then everybody in the group charged on Naruto, intent on overpowering and beating him to a bloody pulp.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 2

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: And here's the story's first cliffhanger!

Now, to outline a couple of points going forward. First point: Each chapter is written in Verdana font, size 10, and my intention is to make each chapter roughly 10 pages long. They may turn out longer in some cases if the plot requires it, but that will be the basic format.

Second point: While I intend to have quite a few characters from the main Narutoverse in this story, I am not settled in my mind as yet as to whether any characters from the filler arcs will be included. Yeah, filler tends to suck if not written properly, but I digress.

Third point: not every character who's a good guy in the main series will be a good guy here, neither will every canonically evil character be evil here. That will serve to keep some level of suspense here and there as I see the need.

Fourth point: I admit, I've never been a Sakura fan from the outset of the main series. Not even her pre-timeskip training with Tsunade could do much to buffer that dislike. Hence, the way she's portrayed in this chapter. She might be given some character development as time goes by, but that remains to be seen.

Next up: Chapter 3 is on the way!


	3. Kurama the Fox

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 3: Kurama the Fox**

Naruto sighed as the gangsters charged at him. "Oh, well. I tried."

And then—

"WHAT THE?" the thugs all exclaimed.

Naruto was now rushing toward the attacking gangsters at far greater speed than they were going. The soda bottle was in his hand, tightly gripped.

And his counterattack began.

The bottle was swung multiple times at multiple persons' faces, crotches and kneecaps in swift succession. One gangster screamed and collapsed as an explosion of pain tore through his shin…then another couldn't get out more than a grunt as the bottle smashed into his jaw, breaking it…then a third doubled over and held a certain important place beneath her thighs that had just gotten unwelcome blunt-force trauma. Seconds later, two more thugs simultaneously got their teeth kicked in as Naruto jumped and sent both feet flying into their faces…then, landing, he grabbed another gangster's wrist, lifted it skyward, and twisted it, forcing the guy's arm to bend at an unnatural angle and causing him no end of pain.

Mizuki stared aghast at the beat-down his thugs were experiencing. "Wh-what's wrong with all of you? He's just one kid! Get him already!" he shouted at them.

Two thugs wielding baseball bats dashed at Naruto and raised their weapons, intending to strike him down—but they got the shock of their lives when Naruto used the soda bottle to block both weapons simultaneously, and then followed up by sending a fist into one's stomach and the bottle into the other's crotch. As both collapsed with coughing and groaning, Naruto snatched up one of the bats and swung it at a female gangster's face, breaking her nose and causing her to fall down with blood gushing all over herself. Then Naruto jabbed the bat and the bottle forward multiple times at high speed, hitting several more thugs in their faces, throats, crotches and knees and causing all of them to fall just as quickly. Catching a slight movement out of the corner of his eye, he shifted in time to avoid a swung chain, then stepped toward the attacker and sent the tip of the bat into the guy's midsection, following up by slapping him in the side of the head with the bottle and dropping him like dead weight.

Yet another thug rushed at Naruto with an iron pipe upraised…only for Naruto to duck and avoid the swing, then counter by hitting the guy hard at the side of his knee, causing him to flinch and topple over. Not finished yet, Naruto lifted one leg and stamped down hard on the guy's hand; the thug shrieked in pain as his fingers got broken from the force of the stamp.

"…whoa…" Mr. Yamanaka could hardly believe his eyes.

"…how brutal…" Ino blinked at the sight of the seemingly different Naruto.

The punks who'd been holding Ino and her father captive now let them go and dashed at Naruto, screaming bloody murder—only for two of them to get viciously smacked in their heads with the baseball bat. Naruto then stabbed forward with the bottle, hitting three more of the attackers in the throat one after another and causing all of them to fall down, choking on their own blood and saliva. The last two, seeing what had happened to their comrades, did an about-face and sought to escape—but Naruto dashed up behind them and jumped forward, then sent one of his feet slamming into the back of one knee of each gangster, causing both of them to howl in pain and drop forward on their faces.

Mizuki's eyebrow twitched at this display. "My mooks…he took down all of my mooks…as easily as that…" His whole eye twitched. "What the hell is this?"

Naruto stood up tall and relaxed, flipping the still-unbroken bottle up and down in one hand and casually swinging the bat around in the other. "Oh, by the way…something I think you ought to know," he addressed Mizuki. "As far as the Kyuushingai goes, they never had any member who called himself the Death-bringer, or anything of that sort."

"What're you talking about? You can't prove that!" Mizuki raged at him.

Naruto looked grave. "The members of the Kyuushingai all had code-names, yes, but those code-names were very specific…they included the names of particular animals. Even now, all of those code-names are not very widely known by the general public; not even any of the news media who were covering the 365 days of carnage could get all the names at any one time. Today, few people who survived that time can correctly identify just one of the Nine Terrors by any of those code-names…even fewer can correctly give three or four of those code-names if you ask them."

He paused, making sure he had Mizuki's attention, and then went on. "Shukaku the Raccoon. Matatabi the Cat. Isobu the Turtle. Son Goku the Gorilla. Kokuo the Horse. Saiken the Slug. Chomei the Beetle. Gyuki the Bull." His gaze was now steely. "And during the 365 days' carnage…my code-name was Kurama the Fox."

"…your…code-name…?" Ino blinked. "Then…Naruto…_you_ were one of the Kyuushingai?"

Those gangsters who were still conscious on the ground turned white at the revelation. "Say what? This guy was one of the Kyuushingai?" several of them exclaimed simultaneously.

Mizuki stared long and hard at Naruto…and then a sinister grin came over his face. "Interesting…so that explains how so many of my guys got hospitalized last night and how you could fight so many all at once just now," he remarked. His grip on the knife he'd been holding got tighter. "Then that means, if I kill you, I can legitimize my claim to the title of Kyuushingai. All right, then—die!"

With that, Mizuki lunged forward, the knife-tip pointed at Naruto's chest—but Naruto sidestepped slightly and slammed the bottle on the bone of Mizuki's wrist. Mizuki flinched in pain as he inadvertently let go of his hold on his weapon, but he had no time to cry out in his agony as Naruto swung his baseball bat at the teal-haired gangster's face, smashing his jaw and knocking out one of his teeth. Furious, Mizuki threw a kick at Naruto's head—and Naruto ducked down and swung the bottle upward, making it connect in between Mizuki's legs. Mizuki's eyes widened at the sudden pain in his crotch, and his uninjured hand immediately snapped down to clutch what he had down there as he swiftly lowered his leg and squeezed his thighs together, bending over slightly at the knee in the process.

"I don't have any fondness for my memory of being in the Kyuushingai," Naruto said calmly. "But a guy like you doesn't deserve to have any claim to membership in that group!" Then in one movement, he released the bat and the bottle, letting them both drop to the ground and freeing his hands, and then balled his hands into fists. _**"Nine-point Fox Blow!"**_ And following that shout, he sent his fists slamming into the two sides of Mizuki's abdomen, then both sides of his chest, then both jaws, then both sides of his ribs, and then finished with one hard blow to the very center of his face, breaking both his nose and two front teeth in that one punch and sending him flying backwards, unconscious.

Mizuki's gangsters watched in shocked silence as their leader was felled…then, as one, they looked at the blond-haired fighter responsible for that defeat. "H-h-hey, dude, please, spare us!" they begged. "Don't hurt us, man! We'll do anything!"

"Hey, guys, over here, quick! Mizuki just got beaten down!"

Hearing a new voice off to one side, Naruto looked up just in time to see a few curious onlookers coming out from the various nearby houses. "These people…"

"Nnngh…" Mr. Yamanaka managed to pull himself into an upright seated position on the pavement. "Other store-owners and residents who've been extorted by this gang."

"I see." Naruto turned to the newly-arriving civilians, who were now increasing in number as more of them came out of their houses. "Call the cops to pick up these guys, would you? And while you wait…well, they've been stealing your hard-earned cash these past couple of months. What say you make them pay it back, eh?"

The residents looked at one another on hearing this suggestion. Then, as one, they grinned. "Gladly." And now a few of them bent down and picked up the various weapons the thugs had dropped.

"Oh, no…!" the gangsters who were still conscious paled further—but before they could even try to cry out, the residents were mobbing them.

Naruto turned away from the ensuing lynching and walked toward Ino and Mr. Yamanaka, as the former was now helping the latter to his feet. "Uh…you guys need help?"

"Naruto…you…" Ino wasn't sure what to say.

"Oh…yeah. About that…" Naruto bit his lip. "I wasn't intending to lie to you or anything like that. I just don't like to talk about those days, if I can help it." He turned and started to walk away. "Well, just make sure your dad gets some medical attention, that's all. Anyway…I'll see you around, I guess." And so saying, he headed off up the street and a moment later was gone from sight.

Mr. Yamanaka shook his head. "Well…that was a bit unusual, wouldn't you say?"

Ino nodded. _Naruto…_

**OoOoO**

"…_and we begin our newscast this evening with a developing story: the Konoha Town police had to rush to save members of the notorious Kyuushingai gang from being beaten to death by an angry mob of residents, who set upon several of the gang members and flogged them before the officers intervened. Some fifteen members of the gang, including their leader Mizuki, had to be rushed to hospital and are even now receiving medical treatment under police guard. Although the details on the events leading up to the confrontation between the gang members and the residents are sketchy at this time, especially since the residents were unwilling to speak to members of our news team, the police have indicated that they expect to lay charges against Mizuki and his gang once they have finished receiving treatment. This incident marks the end of a three-month-long reign of terror over Konoha Town, as Mizuki, who made claims that he was one of the infamous Kyuushingai, or Nine Terrors, killed several law-enforcement officers during his first few weeks in the community, and also reportedly extorted several business operators of money in exchange for their safety. And in related news, the mayor of Konoha Town, Senju Tsunade, has issued a statement concerning the events of today's mob-beating of the Kyuushingai gangsters…"_

The TV was switched off, and the dark-clad figure who'd been watching the newscast up to this point reclined in his velvet couch, his face hidden in the darkness. Only his eyes remained visible in the poor light, and those eyes gave the now-blank TV screen a piercing stare. Just then, footsteps approached and stopped right behind his chair. He, however, did not move. "Speak."

"The police records do not indicate any confirmation of your suspicions, sir," the tuxedoed servant told him.

The dark figure's eyes narrowed. "I see. Well…it cannot be coincidence, of that I am certain. Continue to keep me informed."

"Hai." The servant nodded and then turned and walked away, leaving the master alone in the dark.

**OoOoO**

The next day, at Konoha High School…

"Oi, did you hear the news? Mizuki and his gang were defeated and arrested!"

"Eh, really? How did that happen?"

"I heard it on the news last night—they got beaten up by some community members!"

"Hmm, I guess Mizuki wasn't really all that tough after all, if civilians could gang up on him…"

"Hey, that jerk had it coming, if you ask me!"

Ino heard the various comments among her fellow students, some whispered, some not quite so discreet, as she went to her various classes. Still, her own mind wasn't on the fall of the gangsters…it was on something else. Or rather, someone else.

_Naruto…was he really a Kyuushingai member? Well, he sure seemed knowledgeable about the Nine Terrors' names, and he did beat up Mizuki's gang all by himself…but somehow…for a guy like him to be one of the nine most frightening people in the country's past two years of history…_

So caught up in her thoughts was she, that Ino barely paid much mind to what else was going on around her, her body acting purely on autopilot. Until…

"Hey! Watch it, moron! You could've knocked me over, there!"

"Eh?" Snapped out of her reverie, Ino took in who was addressing her. "Oh…it's you."

"What's that mean? 'Oh, it's you'?" Sakura snapped at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me rephrase it, then. Good morning, your big-headed-ness," Ino replied, bowing mockingly.

Sakura gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, as if ready to attack Ino right there on the corridor—but just then a loud voice from behind her checked her action. "Ah, Sakura-chan, is that you? Wait up, hi, good morning!" Naruto cried, hurrying to reach her.

"Ugh, why won't this guy take a hint?" Sakura asked crossly, rolling her eyes.

"Eh—Naruto?" Ino blinked at the sight of the blond transfer student.

"Oh, hi, Ino," Naruto greeted her. "Say, Sakura-chan, I just got two free-meal coupons to use at Burger Castle, and I was wondering if you'd like to—"

"Forget it!" Sakura cut him off. "I don't eat at Burger Castle, for your information. I only eat at well-known franchise restaurants or places that have class…and even if I ate at Burger Castle, I wouldn't go on a date with weirdoes like you! I only date popular boys, and popular, you are not. If you want to date a fellow loser, on the other hand, you could ask Ino-pig here—she hasn't had a date since, well, ever. Later!" And she marched away from the two.

Naruto looked depressed. "Shot down twice in one day by such a cute girl…I'll never live this one down," he groaned.

Ino rubbed a hand over her face. "You mean you didn't hear the first 'no'? And what about me telling you yesterday not to have anything to do with her anyway? You must have rocks in your head, for someone who was with the Kyuu—"

In an instant Naruto's hand got clapped over her mouth, and his expression was deadly serious. "Not—so—loud," he whispered.

Ino blinked, slowly using one hand to remove Naruto's. "Right. Secret. I get it. Sorry," she whispered back. "But…about that…can we talk?"

"Uh…okay…" Naruto barely had a moment to register what happened next, though, as Ino grabbed his wrist and pulled him along the corridor, until she'd brought him to a fairly secluded spot away from the corridor. "Um…"

Ino released his hand. "Listen…about yesterday…" She sighed and cast her gaze down to the ground. "I never thanked you properly. For saving me and Papa, I mean. What you said to Mizuki…it just caught me off-guard. I wouldn't expect that, coming from someone like you at all. So…thank you."

Naruto's eyes were slightly wide at this. Then he chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well…I guess this is better than you smacking me in the head with a baseball bat."

The next thing he knew, Ino had flattened him with a giant fist, and his face was bruised and swelling. "Damn you, Naruto, I was telling you thanks for saving our lives, you dumb jerk!" Ino snapped.

"Okay, okay, your thanks is accepted!" Naruto croaked through a mouthful of broken teeth.

"Oi, oi, don't you know fighting is prohibited? You could go into detention for that."

"Eh?" Glancing up, Ino beheld a tall man with spiky gray hair, his mouth and nose covered by a dust-mask, one eye covered by a few stray locks of his hair, and a textbook in his hand, giving them a quizzical look. "Ah, sensei! It's nothing like that, we were just having a little fun!" she exclaimed with an embarrassed grin, swiftly pulling the dazed Naruto to his feet and dusting him off with her hands. "There, see? He's not hurt in the slightest! It was all in fun!"

The teacher shook his head. "And to be in such a secluded spot…you might give people the wrong idea also."

"Wh-wh-what?" Ino recoiled in horror. "What're you talking about, sensei? Don't think such perverted things!"

"I'm just saying, is all," said the teacher, waving off Ino's outrage. Then just as suddenly, he looked at his watch. "Oops! I'll be late for my next class if I don't hurry. Just stay out of trouble, both of you!" And he hurried off.

"Uh…who was that weird guy, anyway?" Naruto wondered.

"Ah, him? That's Hatake Kakashi-sensei, from the Math department," said Ino. "That guy's always at least five to ten minutes late for every class he teaches; it's a wonder they haven't fired him yet. Oh, and he _always_ wears that dust-mask or something similar to cover his face; we just accept it as one of his more normal quirks."

"Huh." Naruto cocked an eyebrow at this.

"Oh, by the way, you said you had free-meal vouchers for Burger Castle?" said Ino. "How'd you manage to get those? You normally have to buy six meals there that cost more than $500, and then on the seventh purchase they give you one voucher for a free meal. And you've only been in town one day, yet already you have TWO of those? What did you do, bribe the owner?"

"Ah, well, that was quite a story," Naruto replied with a sheepish grin. "I just happened to find two of Mizuki's gang who got food there yesterday and left without paying, and…"

**OoOoO**

_The evening before…_

_Naruto stood outside the doors to Burger Castle, holding by their collars the two thugs who'd absconded without paying for their meal earlier that afternoon. Both of them were sporting ugly welts on their heads and faces, their noses were broken, and they were both missing teeth. "Now, do you remember exactly what I told you to say?" Naruto asked with a smirk on his face._

"_Yes, sempai," the two answered in a simultaneous drone. "We're sorry we left the restaurant without paying for our food."_

"_And?" Naruto prompted._

"_And we're sorry we slapped the server-girl on her ass and laughed about it," the men continued._

"_AND?" Naruto prompted again._

"_And we're sorry we acted like douche-holes," the men went on, tears streaming like waterfalls down their faces._

"_**AND?"**__ Naruto shook the two slightly._

"_And we want to work to pay for our meals and to act as a further apology to the restaurant and its customers," the men were now crying like babies. "Just please don't hit us anymore, sempai!"_

"_Very good! Now let's get in there!" Naruto marched them toward the doors and pushed them inside. "Excuse me, could I see the manager, please?" he called in a loud voice. "I found two guys here who have something they want to say!"_

**OoOoO**

"Ha, ha, ha!" Ino laughed raucously. "Man, I wish I could've seen that!"

"Yeah, it was quite something," Naruto chuckled. "Well, now that Mizuki and his cronies are out of the way, you and your dad can have some peace and quiet for a while. By the way, how's he doing?"

"He's recovering pretty well," said Ino. "Of course, I'll have to help out a lot more at the store after school for the next few days until he can manage on his own again."

"OOOHHHH, THERE HE IS! HIIIII!"

Hearing the multitude of female voices crying out in such romantic tones, Naruto and Ino glanced up to see what it was about. Instantly Ino's eyes transformed into heart. "Can it be? Can it really be?" she gasped.

"Huh?" Naruto followed Ino's gaze up the corridor. "What in the…"

Coming in their direction was a young man with spiky black hair, hands in his pockets, and a very neutral expression on his face. All around, the female students were gazing at him with hearts in their eyes, while the males were glaring with expressions of jealousy. "Sasuke-kun! Over here, Sasuke-kun!" several of the girls were crying out to him, though he didn't glance their way for even a moment.

Ino ran up to the newcomer. "Hi, Sasuke-kun! How are you today? Can I get you anything?" she exclaimed—even as he walked right past her, having apparently not even heard a word she was saying.

"Tch…" Naruto scoffed as Sasuke walked past him, not even glancing at the blond boy either. "What's everybody getting so worked up about this guy for?"

"What did you say?" Ino marched up to Naruto, the hearts gone from her eyes. "Don't you know who that is? That's Uchiha Sasuke-kun, heir-apparent to the Uchiha Zaibatsu, one of the biggest family-owned conglomerates in Konoha Town and the wider region! They own most of the big businesses in town!" Hearts came into her eyes again. "Not to mention, Sasuke-kun is every girl's dream-boy here at school…every girl wants to be his girlfriend! I wish _I_ was!"

"Despite the fact that he just walked past you without even acknowledging you?" Naruto queried.

"That's just because he doesn't know me that well, that's all!" Ino said defensively. "But just you wait—one of these days I'll introduce myself to him properly, and I'll confess to him, and he'll be bound to acknowledge me! You just wait and see!"

"Pfft. Right." Naruto scoffed again—and wound up face-first in the ground after having been thumped again by Ino. "OW!"

"Take that back, you jerk!" Ino yelled.

"Yamanaka-san, I strongly advise you to curb your temper. The rules say there is to be no loud noise on the school corridors during class hours."

"Hmm?" Ino glanced up at the new voice. "Ah…sorry, Neji-san."

The person she was addressing was an older male student, sporting long black hair tied back in a ponytail, and wearing a black headband around his forehead. His eyes, bright purple in color, seemed to bore into Ino's face for a moment, before shifting to the downed Naruto. "You there," he addressed Naruto. "On your feet and get to class. Another rule says that no students are to be seen loitering on the corridors during class-time."

"Oh, yeah?" Naruto challenged, standing up and dusting himself off. "Then why are YOU out on the corridors? And anyway, it's only been a few minutes since general assembly ended, so I can go wherever I like until class-time, can't I?"

"Naruto, stop it!" Ino exclaimed. "This is Hyuuga Neji-san, the student council president and head male prefect!"

Neji crossed his arms over his chest and looked squarely into Naruto's face. "Is your friend here a new student, Yamanaka-san?" he asked.

"He is," Ino said apologetically, giving a slight bow to Neji. "Please forgive him, Neji-san. He didn't know you before. Today's his second day here at Konoha High."

"I see. Well, that being the case, I will overlook his rudeness for today." All this time Neji had not broken his gaze on Naruto. "However…Naruto, is it? Let me tell you something for future reference. As student council president and head male prefect here at Konoha High School, it is my responsibility to ensure that all other students follow the rules that have been laid out. Rules are not made to be broken, but to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone who attends this institution, and to instill a sense of discipline that you will need to survive in the working world once you leave here. Nobody is above the rules, including myself as a senior student, and I will not allow anyone to behave as though they can do whatever they feel like whenever they feel like it."

"Well, good for you. Do what you think you need to do," said Naruto.

"What I will do is remind you that punctuality to all your classes is paramount," Neji said firmly. "General assembly starts promptly at 8:30 and lasts until 8:50—that gives you a ten-minute window to get to your first class, at 9:00. Which is now," he added checking his watch. "Get going now, or you will be penalized."

"Understood, Neji-san!" Ino nodded. "I'll catch you later, Naruto!" And she turned and hurried away.

"Right, right. Later, Ino," Naruto replied, casting a brief look at Neji before turning and walking away. Neji, in turn, narrowed his gaze at the other boy's departing back, before turning and walking away himself.

**OoOoO**

"Morning, Umino-kun," the gruff-looking man intoned as he walked up to the other man's desk.

"Hmm? Ah, morning, Morino-san," the other replied. "Did you have a good commute?"

Morino Ibiki scoffed at his police partner's question. "The same crappy taxi service as usual," he grunted. "Next time you're the one buying the donuts," and here he produced a box of donuts and dropped it on the desk.

Chuckling, Umino Iruka reached for the box and pulled out a donut. "Nice. The jelly variety. Always loved those." He bit into it. "By the way, the chief said she wanted to see both of us as soon as you got in."

"Why? I still have my report to file concerning Mizuki's arrest last evening," Ibiki grumbled.

"Tell that to the chief," Iruka said with a shrug, standing up and walking toward the chief's office. "You coming or not?"

Scowling deeply, Ibiki followed Iruka into the chief's office, where the woman herself, a stern-faced individual with spiky dark-brown hair, waited for them. "Morning, Chief," Ibiki spoke up. "You wanted to see us?"

The chief, Inuzuka Tsume, nodded. "Close the door and sit down, gentlemen."

Ibiki shut the door behind him, and joined Iruka in sitting down before Chief Inuzuka's desk. "What's going on, Chief? We still have to finish our reports on the Mizuki arrest…is this a high-priority case?" Irukia asked.

"It's related to the Mizuki matter…and it's coming on direct orders from the mayor herself." Chief Inuzuka's tone was serious. "Since you two were the lead detectives on the Kyuushingai case from three months ago, Mayor Senju is asking for you to join her in a closed-quarters meeting at City Hall this evening, to discuss the case and its outcome. She didn't get any more detailed than that…but my guess is she wants to give you two personal commendations for handling the arrest of Mizuki and his gang of bastards."

"Hmm…a closed-quarters meeting just to give us commendations for finishing a case?" Iruka wondered aloud.

"Oi, Umino-kun, don't look a gift-horse in the mouth," Ibiki scolded him.

"Yes, Umino-kun; it's not every day the police get personal thanks from Senju-sama," said Chief Inuzuka reprovingly. "Just go, hear what she has to say, and let that be that. You can add it into your report that the mayor invited you to a meeting to wrap up the details of the case."

"Yes, ma'am," Ibiki and Iruka stood up and saluted simultaneously.

**OoOoO**

The black BMW cruised along the highway, its driver taking care to obey every traffic regulation in immediate force, while in the back seat its three passengers sat silently. Two of the passengers were dressed in black suits with black ties, similar to the driver; the third, a much older man, was clad in a light-brown tweed suit with matching bowtie. This man calmly pulled out a pipe, stuffed it with tobacco and lit it, and moments later he was enjoying a few puffs. "How much longer?" he asked.

"Another four hours to our destination, sir," the driver informed him without turning around.

"Good, very good." The man leaned back in the seat and enjoyed his pipe a bit more.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 3

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: So Naruto has made his revelation to Ino and her father, Sasuke and Neji are introduced, Iruka and Ibiki are shown to be cops…but who is the mysterious person in the dark? Why does Tsunade, the mayor of Konoha Town, want to see the two detectives? Who is the mystery passenger in the BMW with his entourage?

As of this writing, there haven't been any reviews as yet, but I do acknowledge that a few of you are following the story. Again, I will reiterate for all _Naruto_ fans, there won't be any jutsu, tailed beasts, or any kind of summoning going on in this story; everything will be as close to realistic as I can make it. Of course, the names of the tailed beasts have been given here, but here they are given as the code-names of the Kyuushingai, of which Naruto is/was a member. Does this mean that characters like Gaara, Killer B, and the other jinchuuriki will appear in different roles? I will say off the bat, yes, they will; but when they will appear, and what roles they will play, that I will not say for the time being. Let the story take its course as it will.

Chapter 4 is coming up next!


	4. Abuse of Power

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 4: Abuse of Power**

12:00 noon, lunchtime at Konoha High School. "Oi, Ino!"

"Eh?" Ino turned and saw Naruto hailing her from up the corridor. "Ah, Naruto!"

"Whew, I thought I'd never find you!" Naruto exclaimed, hurrying up to her. "Going to the cafeteria, or are you eating lunch from home again?"

"I think today I'll go to the cafeteria—they've got pudding again today, and I intend to get some!" Ino said with determination.

"All right, since you're so hyped about it, I guess I'll try it too," Naruto acceded. "I definitely wanna get my hands on their turkey sandwiches—they look really big, and with the fried potato wedges on the side, who can resist that?"

The two fell in step together and walked in the direction of the cafeteria. "So, Naruto, have you made any other friends since you've been here?" Ino asked, for the sake of conversation.

"Eh? Other friends? Um…not really," Naruto admitted, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"…you're kidding." Ino looked him straight in the face. "You're not kidding. Seriously?"

"Well, do I have to? I mean, you're pretty cool company, right?" Naruto grinned.

Ino blushed a little. "I'm happy you think that way, but you have to expand your horizons a bit, Naruto," she chided him. "I mean, it's not every day you'll be able to hang out with me. And if you and I spend all our time with just each other, then people might think we're…you know…"

"Might think we're what?" Naruto asked.

Ino rolled her eyes at his clueless-ness. "That we're boyfriend and girlfriend—you know, a couple," she whispered.

Naruto's eyes bulged. "WHAT? Me and you? A couple? Really?"

The other students around them stared at Naruto's outburst. Ino's face reddened. "BAKA!" she shrieked, hitting him in the top of the head with one fist and sending him face-first to the ground. Then, in the next beat, she was grinning sheepishly and waving the crowd off. "He was just joking, joking!" she cried frantically, while giant drops of sweat appeared on the other students' heads.

"Oi, oi! What's the holdup here? Don't crowd the corridor! Make way for the Hall Monitors' Guild!"

On hearing the demand, several students immediately moved to the two sides of the corridor, leaving the middle pathway clear for a group of militant-looking students who were coming along. "That's it, that's it, make way," the student at the front of the procession declared with a smug expression.

"Uh-oh…" Ino glanced down at Naruto, who was still lying facedown on the ground. "Hey, Naruto, hurry up and move!"

"Huh?" Naruto slowly picked himself up, just as the Hall Monitors' Guild came up to him.

"What's this all of a sudden? Move aside, runt! Don't get in the way of us hall monitors!" the front student snapped impatiently.

They were right near a classroom door at that point—and just at that very moment a young bespectacled student burst out from inside the room, arms full of books, and collided with one of the hall monitors. "Oops!" the boy cried out, falling to the ground even as his books scattered all over.

The hall monitor he'd collided with glared down at him. "Hey, brat, what's the big idea? Watch where you're going!"

"Oh, uh…sorry, sempai," the other student apologized, scrambling to pick up his books.

"Sorry? Is that all you can say?" the hall monitor demanded, his dark eyes flashing. "Do you have any idea who I am, kid? I'm Rokusho Aoi, the chief hall monitor! And that means a brat like you must show me greater respect than that!"

"H-hey, he already said sorry," another student ventured.

"Did you say something?" Aoi shot a glare at the speaker, frightening him into silence. "No? That's what I thought. Now, kid," turning back to the student who'd bumped into him, "if you really want to apologize, do it the right way—kiss my feet and call me Rokusho-sama!"

"Yeah, that's right, kid, do it," the other hall monitors jeered.

"U-um…" The student was clearly unnerved, even as a small dribble of snot suddenly appeared from his nose.

"Well, what's the hold-up? Do it now!" Aoi shouted. "Or do you want me to recommend you for detention for insubordination?"

"S-sorry, sempai—I mean, Rokusho-sama," the student whimpered, and now he prostrated himself and began to kiss Aoi's shoes.

"Hey, no! Cut that out!" Naruto exclaimed, stepping forward—but Ino pulled him back.

"Naruto, cool it!" Ino hissed. "The hall monitors can have you thrown into detention for the slightest infraction! Even if it means they use their power to push other students around…" she added darkly.

"Push other students around? Well, call it what you want; we're simply exercising the natural law of 'the strong rule the weak'!" Aoi said boastfully. "And you, blondie," addressing Naruto, "you'd better listen to your friend and not oppose us if you know what's good for you. And that goes for the rest of you, too!" addressing the other students, who were witnessing the display with a mixture of silent outrage and fear.

The beleaguered student was still kissing Aoi's foot. "All right, all right, that's enough now, I don't want your dirty spit or your nasty snot all over me," said Aoi, using his other foot to roughly push the boy off. "Hall Monitors' Guild, let's go!"

"Yes, sir!" the other hall monitors replied in unison, and then they all followed Aoi as he marched off.

"Grr…damn bastard…who the hell does he think he is? Hall monitor, my ass!" Naruto spat.

Ino, meantime, went over to the still-downed student and helped him stand up. "Are you all right, dear?" she asked.

"I…I think so…just my pride that's busted, that's all," the boy answered, adjusting his glasses and sniffling hard to reclaim the escaped snot.

"Never mind, those guys are gone now," Ino consoled him. "Here, let's take up your books. Naruto, give us a hand, would you?"

"Yeah, sure," Naruto nodded, and he bent down to take up the nearest book. "Where are you going with all these books, anyway, kiddo? Are you a walking library or something?"

The boy smiled a little. "No…I just like to take time during the lunch break and study." He accepted a few of his books from Ino. "I'm Udon, by the way."

"Ah, yes—I'm Ino, and he's Naruto," Ino introduced the two of them. "Are you a first-year student, by any chance?"

"Yes, I am," Udon nodded. "And you guys look like second-year students."

"Yeah, pretty much," Naruto nodded, picking up another book from the ground and giving it to Udon.

"Say, Udon, would you like to join us for lunch?" Ino suggested.

"Uh…I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble…I've already done enough of that just now," said Udon.

"Nonsense! It's no trouble at all…" Ino delicately pointed to his nose. "Just get your nose wiped and that's all we'll ask, okay?"

**OoOoO**

A little while later, the three were outside near the school's playfield, enjoying their lunches together. "Mmm! Pudding is so divine!" Ino gushed after a few spoonfuls of the delicacy.

"Heh…it's pretty nice, I'll admit," Naruto chuckled, savoring his own pudding.

Udon was sitting across from them, eating a sandwich. "Thank you for having me eat with you," he said shyly, blushing a bit.

"It's not biggie, really," said Naruto.

"Yeah…just blow your nose, please, or you'll ruin my appetite," said Ino, swiftly handing Udon a handkerchief.

Udon accepted the hanky and discreetly blew his nose. "You're really nice, both of you, for second-year students," he remarked. "Almost makes me forget about those hall monitors…"

"Ah, yeah. Them." Naruto put down his pudding, his appetite ruined. "What's their deal, anyway? Just because they're hall monitors doesn't give them the right to step on people like that! Especially that bastard Aoi…"

"That's what happens when some people get too much power," Ino sighed. "Aoi was personally handpicked by Neji-san to be the chief hall monitor, and he in turn picked the other hall monitors from among his friends. Now all of them take every opportunity to throw their muscle around on the other students, as long as they think they can get away with it."

"Well, why don't the students just report them?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"They _can't,_ Naruto—they won't do that because they're scared of retaliation from the hall monitors," said Ino. "I remember a few months back, near the start of this school year, shortly after the Hall Monitors' Guild was established, one of them tried to flirt with a third-year female student. The girl rebuffed the guy…and then next thing she knew, she was brought before the school's disciplinary committee on a charge that she'd stolen a cell-phone. The hall monitors even got a couple of witnesses to testify against the girl…and in the end, she was forced to pay for the phone!"

"You're serious? They could actually do that?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"They could, and they did," Ino said darkly.

Udon looked depressed. "That means they can do whatever they want, and nobody can stop them…"

Naruto scowled. "As far as I'm concerned, those guys should've been stripped of their commission already. Nobody should use such a position of power to bully other people and expect to get away with it!"

"But what are you going to do about it?" Ino protested. "It's not like back when you…" She suddenly remembered that it wasn't just her and Naruto talking together, so she couldn't reference his past. "…told me about the responsibility of using what you've got at your disposal for the right purpose—this is someone who's gotten direct power from the Student Council that we're talking about here! Do you intend to go up against them by yourself?"

"Hey, if they do the job they were told to do without abusing their authority, that's one thing. But if they act like jerks, then of course I'm gonna speak out," Naruto said stubbornly. "Besides…" He turned his gaze on Ino. "This Aoi character is no better than Mizuki. At least Mizuki was brave enough to bully people openly…Aoi is bullying people while hiding behind his position as a hall monitor."

"That may be so, but even still…" Ino mused.

"You still have to put a bully in his place, no matter what methods he uses to bully others," Naruto said firmly. "And anybody who uses their power to trample on others is worse than trash."

"Wow, Naruto-san, you're really brave…I wish I had your courage," said Udon.

"He's not the kind of person you should be emulating, Udon-kun," Ino waved off the boy's comment.

**OoOoO**

5:30 that afternoon found Morino Ibiki and Umino Iruka in the parlor of Konoha Town's mayor, Senju Tsunade, both seated before her desk even as she appraised them. The mayor, a blond-haired beauty with a purple dot in the middle of her forehead that many passed for a birthmark, bore a poker-faced expression that made it difficult for the two cops to tell what kind of mood she might be in just now. That neutral expression, Iruka told himself mentally, definitely did not seem to be the kind of expression one would expect from a public official waiting to give congratulations for a job well done.

"Thank you for coming, officers," Tsunade greeted them. "As your chief of police would have told you, this has to do with your recent arrest of the criminal Mizuki and his gang members."

"Yes, ma'am," both men said simultaneously.

Tsunade nodded. "Give me a basic rundown of your report into Mizuki's arrest, please."

"Yes, ma'am," said Ibiki. "In addition to Mizuki himself, the police were able to collar approximately 30 members of his gang, the majority of who are currently in hospital receiving medical treatment. Mizuki himself is currently under heavy police guard in hospital, and we expect to bring him in before the court in due course, on several counts of murder, robbery, extortion, malicious destruction of property, and assault. Mizuki has also confessed that, contrary to earlier assumptions and his own previous boasts, he is not in fact associated in any way with the Nine Terrors."

"Very well. And your report, Officer Umino?" Tsunade turned to Iruka.

"My report gives largely the same information, ma'am. However…" Iruka frowned. "When I interviewed some of the gang members in hospital the day of the arrest, they gave a tale about how all of them had been defeated by a single individual…a blond-haired male teenager with whisker-marks on his face."

"Hmm, yes…Mizuki did mention that his gang was opposed by a boy fitting that description, who he said was an actual Kyuushingai member and who had identified himself by the moniker 'Kurama the Fox'," said Ibiki. "So far, though, we have not found anyone in town who answers that description."

"What measures have you taken to find out whether such a person is still in Konoha Town?" asked Tsunade.

"For now, we're keeping it quiet so as not to alarm the public—they've already had to endure three months of Mizuki claiming he was a Kyuushingai," said Iruka. "All officers in the department have been notified of the boy's description, however, and are under orders to bring him in for questioning, as discreetly as possible, should opportunity arise."

"Smart." Tsunade intertwined her fingers underneath her chin. "Which brings me to why I called you here, officers…I have a visitor here from out of town, someone who says he has intimate knowledge of the Nine Terrors. He had agreed to come and verify whether or not Mizuki was telling the truth about his link to the Nine Terrors; now that that's been established as false, I'll ask the gentleman to ascertain for us whether we still have anything to worry about."

She stood up and walked toward a nearby door, opening it. "You may come in now," she spoke inside the doorway. "I hope you've been comfortable?"

"But of course, Mayor Tsunade. I thank you for your hospitality," a different voice replied. Then its owner came into view of the two cops—a gray-haired and bearded old man, clad in a light-brown tweed suit with a matching bowtie, and a smoking pipe in his mouth. "Officers," he nodded at the men.

**OoOoO**

"Shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping…" Out of her school uniform and clad in a purple mini-dress with matching sandals, Ino sang happily to herself as she swung her plastic shopping bag on her arm, walking with a carefree step along the sidewalk in the town square. "Hey, Naruto, how're you holding up back there?"

A little distance behind her, Naruto was struggling with two heavy bags in both hands, a third hanging from his neck, and a fourth being held in his mouth by its handle. "Aw vis fer shoes?" he grunted out, his speech heavily affected by the bag-strap in his mouth.

Ino giggled. "Yes, Naruto, all this for shoes," she replied. "Now be a lady's gentleman and continue carrying my bags like you agreed to do."

"I didn't agree ta zhis! You shaid we were gonna go ta Gurger Castle!" Naruto protested in his gagged voice.

"No, I _said_ we were going to run a few little errands and THEN go to Burger Castle," Ino corrected him.

"Dis ish not a few 'liddle errands', you fwave-dwiver," Naruto sulked.

"Hey, at least be grateful I'm not standing behind you with a whip—that's when you'd know me as a real slave-driver," said Ino.

Suddenly she paused. "Eh?"

On the other side of the square, there were several familiar-looking figures. "Say, aren't those Rokusho Aoi and his Hall Monitors' Guild members? What're they doing out here?"

"Hmm?" Naruto stopped next to Ino and looked at the group in question as well.

Over on the other side of the square, Aoi and his followers were laughing and joking noisily, pointedly ignoring the barbed looks they got from nearby store owners and shoppers. "Say, guys, how's about we head over to the arcade? I hear they've got some really neat new games there!" Aoi exclaimed.

"And miss all the pretty girls walking around here?" one of his entourage exclaimed in a mock-shocked voice.

"Hmm, yeah, that's true," Aoi remarked. "Like that one over there, in the black jeans and black boots. How would you rate her? I say she's a 7."

"A 7? Nah, boss, that's a definite 9!" another of his followers replied.

One of the other boys glanced around and spied a woman in a floral dress. "What about that one? She's a 9, too, isn't she?" he asked.

"Oh, please! **That **is a definite 7!" Aoi scoffed.

Hearing the comments, Ino snorted in disgust. "Such a bunch of perverts…"

But clearly Aoi and his band weren't done. "Hey, hey, hey, look at that hot chick in the blue dress," Aoi said lecherously. "That's a perfect 10, right there."

"Unanimous decision!" his cronies yelled. "Go chat her up, Aoi-sama!"

"Hey, why the hell not?" Grinning, Aoi dashed up to the woman in question. "Excuse me, miss, but do you have accident insurance attached to you? Because I scraped my knee while falling for you."

The woman was not amused. "I'm sorry, sir, but I already have a boyfriend," she said shortly.

"Hey, that's no problem. He doesn't have to know. Just a friendly cup of coffee and some talk, that's all I'd like to invite you for," Aoi persisted.

"You're such a pathetic little man. Ugh!" The woman made a disgusted face at him. "Now step off and leave me alone before I call the police."

The grin on Aoi's face vanished. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the woman by the arm. "Do you know who you're talking to?" he asked venomously. "I can have any girl I want, any time I want. You're not all that, so don't go acting like you're the Queen of Sheba."

"H-hey, let me go! Somebody help!" the woman shrieked.

Immediately, two burly passersby stepped forward. "I believe the lady said to stop bothering her, punk," one of them scowled at Aoi—but he and his fellow would-be rescuer got the shock of their lives when two of Aoi's group rushed forward and tackled them to the ground.

"Boys, anybody else try to be a hero, waste 'em!" Aoi shouted to the other members of his entourage, who nodded assent. "Now as for you, little lady, you think you can refuse me just like that? I'm the chief of hall monitors at Konoha High! And what I want, I will have!"

"Let go of me, you creep! Help!" the woman screamed, frantically trying to pull away from Aoi's much stronger grasp.

"Come with me!" Aoi demanded, pulling the woman toward him…

…and the next thing he knew, he felt a sandaled foot slam into the side of his head and send him sprawling. "Aoi-sama!" his followers cried in horror, seeing their leader assaulted so.

Landing from her flying kick, Ino patted the woman's shoulder. "Get out of here quick, lady!" she hissed, and the woman wasted no time taking to flight. "Rokusho Aoi, you're a disgrace!" Ino continued, turning to Aoi. "And you dare call yourself a hall monitor of Konoha High? You don't deserve to even wear our uniform, much less hold that title!" she spat.

Pulling himself into a sitting position, Aoi rubbed the side of his head where Ino had kicked him. "You little bitch," he snarled. "I'll make you pay dearly for that. Boys, get her!"

Yelling and cursing, the gang of youths rushed at Ino—but some were promptly challenged by nearby shoppers. "Leave her alone, you bunch of trash!" some of the shoppers shouted, bashing the surprised hoodlums with their bags of purchases.

"Piss off!" the boys shouted back, throwing their fists out and knocking the bystanders aside.

Seeing that their approach toward her had momentarily been delayed, Ino turned to run—but a hand shot forward and grabbed her ponytail, painfully yanking her back. "Ow!" she cried as she fell on her rump.

Tightly clutching Ino by her hair, Aoi grinned menacingly as he reached into his pocket with his free na hand and whipped out a switchblade. "You put your dirty foot on my head, chick," he said, flicking the knife open. "Just for that, I'm going to give you a very special kind of punishment you'll never forget." He turned to his entourage. "Boys, I'm going to have a little one-on-one with this brat so she knows who's boss! Anybody tries to stop me, stomp 'em!"

As if on cue, several other bystanders dashed forward to help Ino, and a few of the store-owners ran to join them—but Aoi's boys promptly grabbed some of them around their necks and forcibly drew them back, or punched them repeatedly in their faces or stomachs to halt their progress, while those not attacking anyone directly pulled out switchblades of their own and opened them up in sinister fashion to discourage anyone else confronting them. Other bystanders, those who hadn't tried to intervene, looked on with terror on their faces, though one was brave enough to pull out his cell-phone and start dialing a number.

Unfortunately, Aoi noticed that one bystander. "Hey! No calling the cops, now! Guys, get that one with the phone!" he hollered, and at once three of his followers dashed toward the freshly-terrified man with light shining from their knives and blood in their eyes.

"_**ENOUGH!"**_

Everyone froze and looked in the direction of the angry shout. Right there, the shopping bags dropped to his feet, Naruto glared daggers at Aoi even as he removed the shopping bag that had been hanging around his neck and set it on the ground. "I was willing to stand by as long as there were people able enough to put you in your place, but clearly you don't intend to stop," he said acidly. "So I'm going to stop you."

"Ah, it's that brat from school today," Aoi sneered. "And what're you going to do about it? Do you intend to oppose my authority as chief hall monitor of Konoha High School?"

"We're not on school grounds now. So you don't have any authority anywhere. I, on the other hand, have enough authority in my pinky finger…" Naruto wiggled said finger for emphasis. "…for me to kick the crap out of you."

"What'd you say?" Aoi asked dangerously, his eyes narrowing.

Naruto's eyes were similarly narrowed. "I'm giving you one chance, Aoi. Let go of my friend's hair, put away your knife, tell these people you're sorry, and get out of here…or else you'll all be leaving here on stretchers."

"Don't make me la—" was as far as Aoi got before Naruto rocketed forward and shot one fist into his face, sending him flying and scattering a number of garbage cans, dropping his switchblade in the process.

"AOI-SAMA!" Aoi's followers gaped at the sight.

Now ignoring the downed Aoi, Naruto bent down to tend to Ino. "You all right?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I think so," Ino replied—and then she paled. "Naruto…!"

Glancing around, Naruto immediately discerned that Aoi's boys had surrounded the two of them. "How dare you hit Aoi-sama, you wretch!" one of them yelled. "We're gonna bury you now!"

Slowly Naruto straightened up, his hair briefly overshadowing his eyes. "You guys have pissed me off once today already. Now you've pissed me off again." Then he held up his head, and not only were his eyes narrowed into slits, but his teeth were bared and his fists tightly clenched. "Those of you who want to have their bones broken, come and get me."

From where he'd been punched, Aoi stood up amidst the toppled garbage cans. "Arrogant little bastard, aren't you?" he demanded. "Well, I'm gonna look forward to seeing your corpse laid out here today. Boys, KILL HIM!"

Aoi's followers promptly prepared to charge at Naruto, their knives at the ready, even as several of the nearby bystanders watched with bated breath.

**OoOoO**

"…so that's the situation, then?" Tsunade asked the visitor.

"Quite so, madam mayor," the old man replied. "As I told you, Mizuki has no connection whatsoever with the Nine Terrors. He was just a braggart riding on the coattails of a terror-filled set of stories from the recent past."

"Even so, that still leaves the issue of what the detectives, here, have in their reports," Tsunade said gravely. "Even if it's just an allegation, just the idea that a genuine Kyuushingai member is in the area would cause a panic among the citizens."

"Hmm…perhaps not, in this case," the visitor said thoughtfully.

"Pardon?" Tsunade and the cops looked quizzically at him.

The old man sucked deeply on his pipe. "Kurama the Fox…the young man who bears that title…from the reports I was able to glean from survivors of the 365-day carnage, that person was in fact one of the more benevolent members of the Kyuushingai," he said.

"You were in Kumo City at the start of their rampage, weren't you?" Tsunade queried.

"I was," the man nodded. "The night before it all began…I was there…and I saw him…"

**OoOoO**

_The elderly gentleman looked curiously at the young man, who appeared to be no older than thirteen or fourteen, sitting quietly on the pier at the docks, seemingly staring out at nothing beyond the horizon of the dying sunset. "Hello, there, youngster," the man ventured. "Shouldn't you be going home? Your family might worry if you're out late."_

_The young man looked up with a weary expression. "Sorry, gramps, but I won't be able to go home for a while," he said softly. "There's a whole lot I'm gonna have to do…"_

"_You make it sound like you have a whole big burden on your head," the old man said kindly. "Mind if I sit with you? I'm good at listening to stories, if you have any to tell."_

_The boy gave him a lingering look. "You mean well. I appreciate that. But I want to tell you something, gramps, and if you're as smart as I hope you are, you'll listen."_

"_Eh?"_

_The boy looked toward the horizon again, as the twinkling stars above became predominant over the now-gone sunset. "At midnight tonight…there's going to be a lot of action. And it's not going to be pleasant. And people are going to get hurt." He shook his head. "If you have family or friends in this city, please take them and get them as far away from here as you can."_

**OoOoO**

"The way he said it…the look in his eyes…it was a look of utter resignation…a person with eyes like that could not be making up imaginings just to unsettle an old man," the visitor recalled. "So that night, I took my grandson and went to stay with my son. Hours after I left Kumo City, I got the first reports that the Kyuushingai had struck." He sucked on his pipe again. "But to this day, I ask myself…if the Kyuushingai were all heartless, why would this one, out of the whole lot, go out of his way to warn me to safeguard myself and my loved ones right before the year-long massacre began?"

"With all due respect, that doesn't change the fact that all the Kyuushingai are wanted criminals," said Ibiki. "We have to stand for law and order, and if even one of them is running loose in this town, we have to do all we can to stop that one."

"Hmm." The old man sighed. "I'm sorry, but if it's not too much trouble, could your window be opened, Mayor? The air conditioning unit is getting a bit too cold for me."

"Not a problem," and Tsunade got up and went to open the window, which up to now had been closed and a white drape drawn over it. She drew back the drape—and was greeted with the sight of a street fight two stories below. "What the hell?"

Hearing the alarm in her voice, the old man and the two detectives got up and came over to her. "Problem, Mayor?" Iruka asked.

The visitor looked out the window and beheld the fight in the square…and then he paled on seeing one of the combatants. "That is…!" Then, taking the other three by surprise, he turned and dashed out of the office at a speed belying his age.

"H-hey, hold it! Wait!" Tsunade, Ibiki and Iruka turned and ran after the visitor, who was now rushing down the staircase. "What's going on all of a sudden?" Tsunade asked in bewilderment.

"That boy I saw down there—that's him! Kurama the Fox!" the man flung over his shoulder.

"WHAT?" the other three cried out in shock.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 4

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: The fight between Naruto and Aoi's henchmen concludes next chapter! Chapter 5 is coming up!


	5. Reunion

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 5: Reunion**

The group of four came down on the first-floor landing and hurried out to the front entrance of the mayor's building, just in time to see the violent spectacle going on in the street. "That boy…it really is him!" Tsunade's visitor breathed.

"That kid…?" Tsunade blinked at what she was seeing.

Before their eyes, the blond boy with whisker-marks on his face was moving with swift reflexes, dodging knife-attacks from his opponents, grabbing an arm here and there to disarm the attackers, and whenever one of the other boys proved too persistent, he'd twist that arm and fling the offender to the ground, or else thrust his knee into the offender's crotch and reduce that one to a sobbing mess. Then one boy came at him holding a switchblade in a stabbing motion, rushing up from behind.

"Naruto, behind you!" the four witnessed a blond-haired girl screaming out to the boy—and he reacted instantly, moving to one side so the stab-attempt missed altogether, then spinning and sending a punishing right cross to the attacker's face, knocking out teeth and sending him flying. Not done, the blond boy spun around, flipped into a hand-stand, and lashed out with both legs at two other attackers, kicking them simultaneously in their stomachs and knocking them down.

"Whoa…to think he can take on a whole gang by himself…" Iruka whispered.

"Shall we arrest him now?" Ibiki asked, his hand going to his sidearm.

"No," Tsunade replied, holding up a hand to restrain Ibiki's movement. "Let's wait a moment and see what happens."

"Why wait, Mayor?" Ibiki asked in disbelief.

"Young man, take a look there, in the center of the fight…see that blond girl?" The old man nodded his head toward the girl who'd called out to the blond boy. "If she had felt in any way threatened by that boy, she wouldn't have called out to him when he was attacked just now. That she did that…that's not the act of a person who is threatened by the one she's calling out to…that's the act of someone who's aiding in their own rescue."

Reluctantly, Ibiki lowered his hand. "Fine…but Umino-kun, stay alert, just in case."

"Right!" Iruka nodded.

**OoOoO**

As the last of Aoi's boys fell, Naruto straightened up briefly, then turned to Ino even as the crowd started to cheer. "Thanks for that warning shout, Ino," he said as he helped her up. "You all right?"

"Yeah…I'll live." Ino smiled a little. "For the second time in a row, thanks to you."

"Well, it's not over yet." Naruto flashed a glance in Aoi's direction, where the other young man was now on his feet and glowering in murderous rage. "There's the big boss left now. Get out of the way, Ino—this is definitely going to get rough."

"Be careful, Naruto," Ino urged him as she hurried to the sidelines.

"Hey, girl, your boyfriend sure can fight! Just look at how he dealt with those punks!" one of the onlookers addressed Ino.

"He's just a friend, thank you," Ino said bluntly. "But you're right, he sure can fight…too bad that other moron doesn't know who he's dealing with."

In the meantime, Aoi bent down and retrieved the switchblade he'd dropped earlier. "I'm gonna savor slitting your throat, you blond bastard," he snarled.

Naruto made a come-here gesture with one hand. "Then stop hiding behind your bravado and do it…if you think you can."

"You…!" Aoi rushed forward, gripping the knife in a thrusting position to stab at Naruto's belly. Naruto quickly sidestepped, however, and sent a punch to Aoi's elbow, causing his opponent to flinch as the knife was inadvertently dropped. Not to be outdone, Aoi spun around and sent a kick at Naruto's head—but Naruto ducked down and kicked out at Aoi's supporting leg, tripping the bully and causing him to land hard on his back.

Aoi flipped himself back upright, his face a mask of pure rage. "Damn you! I won't lose to one of my juniors!" he exploded, throwing wild punches at his blond opponent. But the cool-headed Naruto effortlessly dodged the punches, hopping backward with every step until he found himself pressed against the side of a parked car.

"Aha! Now I've got you! Nowhere left to go, runt!" Aoi crowed triumphantly, running forward and raising one leg to kick Naruto in the chest. But as he began to thrust his leg forward, Naruto stepped to the side, causing Aoi to miss and kick the car's window in altogether.

"Time to end this," Naruto said coolly as he came behind Aoi…and then he raised one foot and stamped hard into the back of Aoi's supporting leg. A scream of agony tore its way out of Aoi's throat as his supporting leg went limp, resulting in him falling to the ground on his back even while his other leg got dragged out of the car window from the momentum of his fall, glass shards covering his pants-leg in the process.

"Aaaaagh…you…you broke my leg, you…!" Aoi cried out, holding his injured leg as he curled up into a ball of pain.

Naruto brushed his leg off and glared down at Aoi. "What was that you said today, about the strong ruling over the weak? If that's true…then I guess you're among the weak, aren't you?" he asked.

"WOO-HOO! ALL RIGHT, FELLA! THAT'S SHOWING 'EM!"

Cheers and applause broke out from the crowd, with several of them running forward to give the bemused Naruto congratulatory claps on the back. "What's your name, buddy? Let us buy you a drink!" some of them shouted at once.

"Hey, there, honey, want a girlfriend? We're single!" several of the ladies in the crowd called to him.

"Uh…well…I…" Naruto looked around, unsure what to do.

"All right, all right, make way, give him room," Ino called, pushing the greeters away from her schoolmate.

"Aww! He's taken already!" the other girls sounded disappointed.

"H-h-hey, don't get it wrong! We're just friends!" Ino screamed in exasperation.

"All right, everyone, settle down! Police!" a booming authoritative voice shouted. "Break it up, everybody, break it up!"

Looking up, Naruto and Ino saw two policemen approaching them, badges in hand. "Detectives Morino Ibiki and Umino Iruka," the cop who'd shouted now addressed them. "You there, kid, come with us, please."

"What? No way! You're not arresting Naruto! He didn't do anything wrong!" Ino exclaimed, stepping in between Naruto and the cops.

"Yeah!" members of the crowd angrily agreed. "Arrest that guy!" one of them pointed to the felled Aoi. "He's the one who started it all, him and his gang of thugs!"

"Easy, people; we just want to ask him a few questions, is all," Iruka said smoothly.

"Ah, so your name is Naruto, is it, boy?"

All of them looked up at the sound of the voice—and Naruto's eyes widened in recognition. "You are…"

Approaching them were Mayor Tsunade and her elderly visitor, the latter smoking his pipe with a thoughtful expression. "It's been a good little while, boy," the old man addressed the blond youth.

A smile crept onto Naruto's face. "Sure has, hasn't it, gramps?"

"Oi! Show respect, brat!" Ibiki snapped. "Don't you know who you're addressing? This is Sarutobi Hiruzen, one of the highest-ranking government officials in the Ministry of Security!"

"That's enough, Officer Morino," Tsunade interrupted firmly. "I think these two have some catching up they need to do. Why don't you and your partner go collar that idiot on the ground there," nodding at Aoi, "since it seems pretty clear he's the one who started all of this?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ibiki and Iruka nodded, then headed off to carry out the instruction.

"And who're you? This old geezer's escort?" Naruto asked Tsunade.

"W-w-what?" the mayor exclaimed, a horrified look on her face.

"Idiot!" Ino slapped Naruto upside the head. "This is Konoha Town's mayor, Senju Tsunade! Apologize right now!"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind having a pretty lady like this on my arm everywhere I go…" Hiruzen stroked his beard thoughtfully and turned a suddenly-lecherous look on Tsunade. "Quite well-developed, I dare say…"

The next thing he knew, Hiruzen was in a crater in the ground, a lump forming on his head from where Tsunade had punched him. "Dirty old freak!" Tsunade snapped, fangs in her mouth.

"You sure this lady's the mayor?" Naruto whispered to Ino, who just nodded dumbly in response out of shock at Tsunade's show of brutality.

"Ahem. More to the point…" Tsunade turned back to the two youngsters, regaining some of her composure. "Naruto, is it? Sarutobi-sama has said some very interesting things about you…including your involvement in the 365 days of carnage…"

Naruto was immediately serious. "…I see."

Ino looked from him to the mayor. "Mayor, please, don't arrest him! He hasn't done anything wrong since he came into town," she implored the older woman.

"Young lady, do you know what this young man has done?" Tsunade eyed her.

"I know that he saved me and my father from Mizuki's gang…and he prevented a woman from being assaulted just now, plus saved me again along with several other people out here." Ino stood her ground. "I know that this guy, Uzumaki Naruto, is a schoolmate I'd trust with my life."

Tsunade blinked. "Is that right?"

Hiruzen, by now having lifted himself from the ground where he'd been knocked down, chuckled. "Still doing your best to protect other people, even with the violence that comes with your life…you haven't changed from when I met you that night, Naruto-kun," he said.

Naruto shook his head. "I'd disagree, gramps. I think I _have_ changed. Those 365 days…I know I've got a lot of blood on my hands from all the fighting I had to do back then, and no matter what I do I'll never be able to atone for what I've done. Still…if I can keep doing all I can to help the people who need it, and also protect the ones most important to me, then maybe all the fighting I did back then will be worth something."

"That period of time, Naruto-kun…" Hiruzen gave him a searching look. "If you could relive that time, would you do anything different?"

Naruto's eyes were briefly overshadowed. Then he looked up again, and his expression bore a quiet smile. "I'd warn more innocents to get clear so that only the guilty would have died."

"I see." Hiruzen nodded. "Well, my boy, if it's any consolation, because of you my family and I are alive today. Surely that counts for something, right?"

"I'd tell myself that every day…if only I could believe it," said Naruto.

"And you don't?" Hiruzen inquired.

"With the number of people who died because of us, directly or indirectly…sometimes I wonder." Naruto shrugged. "Ah, well, them's the breaks, I guess."

"Naruto…" Ino gave him a sympathetic look.

Presently Iruka came back. "We've already called for reinforcements, and we have most of these guys under control with some help from the civilians," he reported. "Mayor, what do we do about this guy?" jabbing his thumb at Naruto.

Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you leaving town anytime soon, Uzumaki?"

"Uh-uh," Naruto shook his head. "If the cops want to keep track of me, I go to Konoha High School. And my mother's name is Uzumaki Kushina—she's listed in the directory."

Iruka pulled out a notepad from his coat and jotted down the particulars. "Very well…so do we hold him in custody now, since he's still here?"

"That won't be necessary," Tsunade shook her head. "For the time being, Officer Umino, I'll personally task you and Officer Morino to monitor Uzumaki Naruto's activities here in Konoha Town. Please file a report for the police chief to that effect. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll inform Morino-san at once." Iruka gave a brief salute and then headed back to his police partner.

"That should be it, then. You may go…for now," Tsunade told the teens.

"Thank you, Senju-sama!" Ino bowed respectfully to the mayor. "C'mon, Naruto, let's retrieve my shopping bags and get home. I've had enough excitement for one day, I think!"

"Suddenly I think I'd much rather fight Aoi again than carry your stupid bags," Naruto muttered.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Ino turned a dangerous glare on him.

"Nothing!" Naruto squeaked out in a tiny voice, hurrying to help Ino retrieve her bags.

"Ah, poor boy," Hiruzen sighed. "He'd better man up or else any woman he picks up in the future will rule over his head." Then he looked at Tsunade, speaking more seriously. "Regarding the events of today, madam mayor…"

"Hmm." Tsunade closed her eyes and smirked a little. "I don't think the police will have any issues with this one, when all is said and done." Then the smirk disappeared as a thoughtful look came on her face. "Actually…the one most likely to be in danger from Kurama the Fox in this town…is Kurama the Fox himself."

"I understand. Then can I ask you, as mayor of this town, to watch over him?" Hiruzen inquired.

Tsunade nodded. "Just leave it to me."

**OoOoO**

Naruto and Ino were walking together once again, the former carrying most of the latter's bags as he was before. Ino walked ahead of Naruto, looking up at the evening clouds thoughtfully. Then suddenly she stopped and turned to face her companion. "Naruto…"

"Hmm?" Naruto stopped and looked at the blond girl questioningly.

Ino stepped forward and pulled at the bag Naruto was holding in his teeth, removing its straps from his mouth. "Listen, Naruto…I may not know the specifics of what happened two years ago, during the 365 days of terror the Kyuushingai were involved in…but there's just one thing I want you to remember." She smiled. "I didn't meet Kurama the Fox…I met Uzumaki Naruto. I didn't meet a guy whose hands had spilled blood…I met a guy whose hands are used to defend other people. And I haven't come to know a killer…I've come to know a guy whose heart is in the right place, no matter what anybody says. That is who I acknowledge you as, now and always, Naruto."

Naruto looked at her in wonder. "Ino…"

Then, out of nowhere, Ino's expression changed. "That's why I'm gonna make it my life's mission to get you a girlfriend, understand? I'm gonna have to succeed before this month is over, at the very least!"

"Wait, what—a girlfriend?" Naruto looked astonished—and then thoughtful. "Well, now that you mention it, I'd still like to go on a date with that beautiful Sakura-chan if I can manage it…"

"What did I tell you before, Naruto? She's not a girl you should hang out with!" Ino snapped, a vein bulging on her head.

"Well, I definitely think she'd be better girlfriend material than _you_ anyway—you're rude, you're bossy, you're impulsive, you're violent, and you drool over a guy who doesn't even give you the time of day!" Naruto snapped back.

"Hey, don't go insulting Sasuke-kun!" Ino yelled, fangs in her mouth and fire in her eyes.

"Oh, yeah? What're you going to do about it?" Naruto challenged.

"I'll turn you into my shopping-baggage slave, that's what!" Ino held up her bags and prepared to dump them on Naruto—but he was already running off up the sidewalk.

"Nya-nya! Catch me first!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder.

"Come back here, you!" Ino screamed, darting off after the other blond.

**OoOoO**

"…and that concludes the report, ma'am," Ibiki informed Chief Inuzuka, as he and Iruka sat in front of the senior-ranked cop's desk.

Chief Inuzuka was leafing through a folder-jacket the two detectives had prepared for her. "I see…so his name is Uzumaki Naruto," she commented. "And he has a previous acquaintanceship with Sarutobi Hiruzen…from back before that time period…interesting."

"Senju-sama instructed us to just keep an eye on the boy for the time being. What say you, Chief?" Iruka asked.

"Hmm." Chief Inuzuka fingered her chin thoughtfully. "Well, gentlemen, based on the events of the past 48 hours, and the reaction of different witnesses to this boy's actions since his arrival in Konoha Town, I'm inclined to agree with the mayor's assessment—for the time being. But keep a close eye on everything he does; if he does anything that might cause trouble or put any civilian in danger, I want him to be brought in."

"To prevent a recurrence of the 365 days' carnage here in our jurisdiction, right?" asked Ibiki.

"That too, but I was speaking generally," said Chief Inuzuka. "Characters like Uzumaki Naruto have a tendency to attract trouble to themselves, whether they like it or not; if anyone seeks him out knowing he's actually Kurama the Fox, it'll only cause a headache for us as the police and collateral damage for anyone else who's drawn into the mix. And I'd much rather this town's trouble be kept to a bare minimum."

"Understood, ma'am," said Iruka. "How often do you want us to watch him, then?"

"For now, just keep track of his activities when he's out of school; during the school hours, everything should be fine," said Chief Inuzuka. "Whatever he does during your surveillance times, keep a diligent log of it all, and report to me at the end of every week." She leaned back in her chair. "That is all."

"Yes, ma'am!" Ibiki and Iruka stood and saluted.

**OoOoO**

The dark-clad figure sat alone in his room, on his velvet couch, his face framed by the lack of lighting in the immediate area. He did not turn around as the tuxedoed servant appeared in the doorway. "Speak," he intoned.

"Our watchmen have just submitted reports that the target was seen in the vicinity of the town square, where Rokusho Aoi was arrested by the police for his antics, and that the target exchanged words with Senju Tsunade and the government official Sarutobi Hiruzen," the servant answered. "The watchmen are still observing at this time. We await your instructions."

The dark figure nodded. "Have you received any copy of the latest police reports?"

"Our source is to supply those by 8:00 tomorrow morning, sir," said the servant.

"Very well. Continue shadow surveillance for the time being."

"Hai." The servant bowed and then left the master in the dark again.

**OoOoO**

Konoha High School, the following day…

"Say, did you hear? Rokusho Aoi and his entire Hall Monitors' Guild got stripped of their positions!"

"Yeah, I heard that's because all of them got arrested for causing trouble in the town square…"

"I heard they tried to attack random people with knives!"

"No way! Seriously?"

"I always knew those guys were bullies, but to go so far…"

"You think they'll go to prison for what they did?"

"I hear they're definitely looking at suspension…"

Such were the various comments being passed among the students as they traversed the hallways en route to their classes. Udon, the first-year student Naruto and Ino had befriended, listened to the gossip as he walked along…and bumped headlong into someone. "Ah! Sorry!" he exclaimed.

"Eh? Ah, Udon, it's you!" Naruto remarked. "How are you today? Your nose-drip stopped now?"

"Kinda," said Udon. "More importantly, Naruto-san, have you heard the stories going around, about the hall monitors?"

"Oh, them? Well, at least they won't be bullying you around anymore!" Naruto beamed, patting Udon on the head. "Or anyone else, for that matter!"

"Yeah…" Udon nodded. "I just hope the next batch of hall monitors will be better than those guys."

"They will."

Naruto and Udon looked up in the direction of the new voice. "Hey—you're that Neji guy!" Naruto exclaimed, recognizing the student council president.

"I see you remember me," said Neji. "And as the student council president, allow me the opportunity to apologize for Aoi's conduct while he was chief hall monitor. The school principal has already ordered that the entire group be immediately stripped of their positions and expelled, in light of the news of their conduct in town yesterday. Since I was the one who appointed Aoi to his post in the first place, I must take full responsibility for what he has done since then…and I will ensure that his replacement will be someone who enforces the rules strictly, but fairly." He nodded at Udon. "This way, first-year students in particular will not be victimized again."

"Ah—arigato, Neji-san," Udon replied, bowing in gratitude. "Er, please excuse me now, Naruto-san, Neji-san. I have to hurry and get to class." And he hurried off.

"See ya around, Udon!" Naruto waved after him. "Eh, well, I guess I better get to class too…"

Neji held up his hand just then. "One moment, Naruto-kun, if I may."

"Eh? What now?" Naruto wondered.

Neji took a step forward, and when he spoke again, his voice was low. "It hasn't been openly announced here at school because the principal wants to keep the furor at a minimum…but when the school received the reports of Aoi's misconduct yesterday, several people who were in the town square gave descriptions of the person responsible for his eventual arrest. Those descriptions fit you to the tee."

Naruto eyeballed him. "And you say that to say…?"

"I say that as a warning." Neji's eyes narrowed. "As student council president, I won't tolerate anyone stirring up a hornet's nest or inciting others to break the rules or bring Konoha High School into disrepute, whether on campus or off. Aoi disgraced the school even while out of uniform, by virtue of just being recognized as one of our students, and he has been sacked for it." He put one hand on his hip in an authoritative gesture. "Be on your Ps and Qs, Naruto-kun…for if you commit even the slightest infraction, whether in uniform or out, whether here at school or out on the street, I will not hesitate to use all my influence to have you penalized for it."

"Yeah, I got you." Naruto's gaze didn't falter. "Well, you go ahead and enforce the rules how you think they should be enforced. I'll focus on doing what's right, whether the rules support it or not."

"Hmph. Go to class. You will be late if you don't hurry." And without another word Neji walked past Naruto and headed up the hall. Frowning in turn, Naruto walked off toward the direction where he knew his first class for the day would be held.

**OoOoO**

Neji continued walking along the corridor, until at length he arrived outside a door marked _Staff Room._ Unflinching, he knocked on the door and awaited a response; a moment later his patience was rewarded, as a teacher opened the door for him. "Ah, Neji-kun," Hatake Kakashi greeted him.

"The principal is expecting me, sensei," Neji said simply.

"Of course. Go right ahead," said Kakashi, stepping aside to allow Neji to enter. Nodding in turn, Neji stepped into the staff room's general common area and quickly walked up to the office door, marked _Principal_ on its front, and there he knocked.

"Enter!" a commanding voice spoke from inside.

Neji entered the office and shut the door behind him, bowing in greeting to the man seated at the principal's desk—an older man with dark-brown hair and a brown eye-patch covering his right eye. "Shimura-sama," the youth addressed him.

Shimura Danzo, the principal, nodded. "Please sit, Neji-kun," he instructed, and Neji complied. "Now, to why I summoned you here. That new student, Uzumaki Naruto—what do you make of him?"

"Ill-mannered, hot-tempered, but with a strong personal sense of justice," Neji answered briefly.

"I see." Danzo rested his hands on the desk and intertwined his fingers. "I want you to keep a very close watch on that boy. He was transferred from Whirl City's Uzushio High School with a checkered record—above average academically, but with serious management issues—although, frustratingly, the exact reason leading to his transfer was only vaguely outlined in his transcript. I will continue to seek out the truth behind this myself…but in the meantime, if he does anything that could cause problems for Konoha High School, I want you to see to it that it is dealt with promptly."

"If I may, Shimura-sama, this will have to be delicately handled," Neji said carefully. "Those who witnessed what he did in dealing with Rokusho Aoi yesterday will already see him as a hero, and if this school's student population at large gets wind of that…"

"Which is why, when I was informed of the details, I kept it as hush-hush as I could," said Danzo. "I don't want anyone treating that boy as though he should get his own shrine—certainly not when he's only been with us a few days, and shamed our Hall Monitors' Guild as he has."

Neji hung his head a little. "In fairness, Shimura-sama, Aoi's appointment was my own fault. I did not do due diligence where he was concerned."

"Then you will make amends with Aoi's replacement," Danzo said firmly. "But that is a separate matter on its own. As for Uzumaki Naruto…do not give him any wiggle room. If trouble erupts because of him, I need to know about it. If he directly starts anything suspicious, I need to know about it. This school's reputation will not be sullied because of any reason, and every student—transferred or not—will be made to respect that."

"Hai, Shimura-sama," Neji nodded assent. "I will do my duty to the fullest capability."

"That you will. I expect nothing less than the absolute best from you, our school's top student." Danzo nodded back. "Dismissed, Neji-kun."

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 5

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: The Rokusho Aoi arc is completed…and Shimura Danzo is revealed to be Konoha High School's principal! What will this mean for Naruto, as the transfer student from Uzushio High School? Just what led to Naruto's transfer in the first place? Who will Neji get as Aoi's replacement in restructuring the Hall Monitors' Guild? And will Ino fulfill her vow of finding Naruto a girlfriend? All these and other questions will be answered as time goes by, that is assured!

One thing I forgot to mention during the last chapter: Rokusho Aoi is a filler character from the _Naruto_ anime, specifically the villain of the arc that took place in between Tsunade's appointment as Hokage and Sasuke's defection from Konoha. That, in essence, answers the question I had asked in Chapter 2, as to whether I would use filler characters in this story's plot; the answer is, where I need to find a suitable character for a role that a canon character might not be able to fill well, I'll draw from the different fillers (sucky as they may be) to fill the gap.

Also, I need to address this now, while it's fresh in my mind, and so that there'll be no confusion going forward: there will be no Naruto/Ino pairing in this fic. Yes, I acknowledge that the pairing exists in the fandom, and I acknowledge that, under different circumstances in the canon plot, it COULD happen…but in this fic, I intend for the two to have a kind of rapport similar to that shared between Goku and Bulma in the _Dragon Ball _franchise, or Yusuke and Botan in _Yu Yu Hakusho_—a quiet affection and respect, but nothing overly romantic. As far as _Naruto_ pairings go, for me personally, there's only one pairing I support more than any other…and that pairing will be made plain as the story progresses.

Chapter 6 is next!


	6. Writings and Burgers

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 6: Writings and Burgers**

It was Tuesday, and it was another lunchtime period at Konoha High School. The student populace was alive with activity, most of it consisting of eating, gossiping, and friendly and not-so-friendly bickering. Boys were trying to impress girls, girls were trying to sweet-talk boys, teachers were reprimanding students, students were going here and there with lunch-boxes or wrapped sandwiches, other students were carrying book-bags or actual books in their hands, and on the playfield some of the boys were engaging in the strenuous exercise known as soccer, while some of the girls who made up the school's cheerleading squad practiced their routines.

In the midst of it all, sitting alone under a tree, one girl had her legs carefully tucked underneath herself, a leather-covered book open on her knees, and she was writing away in it. Her dark hair cascading around her shoulders and fluttering a little in the gentle breeze that was blowing, her gray eyes focused on her writing.

_January 10. New entry, beginning 12:07 p.m._

_It's another Tuesday here at Konoha High School, and it barely feels like a week has passed since the spring semester for this school year began. So much happened last week, things that have directly and indirectly affected us here, and even now I still find it hard to believe that so much has changed in so little time. That that awful criminal Mizuki and his gang of hoodlums were caught by the police has resulted in sighs of relief from my schoolmates and my neighbors…that Rokusho Aoi-sempai has been expelled from school, together with the people who made up the Hall Monitors' Guild, for their behavior in town last week, it has not been quite so welcome news for Konoha High, but ultimately it's for the best if we are to maintain some semblance of order and discipline. Neji-san has been most troubled about Aoi-sempai's fall from grace, even if he doesn't actively display it in his emotions, but I know how to read him well enough to know what he's really thinking. Only time will tell how soon he'll call up a replacement for Aoi-sempai._

_Hmm…how do I pen this thought…_

_There's someone here at school, someone who has only been with us one week so far—I think he may be a transfer student, although from where, I don't know. He definitely wasn't here at the start of this school year, or else I would have remembered him. It's hard to forget a face like his…and such a bright shock of blond hair like what he has. I've seen him around a few times since last week, but we don't share any classes. Maybe if he had come early, with the rest of us…_

_I don't really know what it is, but somehow, there's just something about this boy that I can't ignore. Maybe it's his awkwardness around people…maybe it's how those marks on his face make him look a little like a kitten, or a puppy…but somehow, every moment I see him, I feel something really strange…like, I don't know, some kind of…_

_Could that be it? Do I…do I like him? Like THAT?_

_No, it's just me being silly. I mean, I'm just a face among scores here at school. Why should I expect him to notice a quiet girl like me?...well, maybe if I went up and introduced myself to him, he might…but would he really? Oh, it's so confusing…_

"NARUTO! COME BACK HERE WITH THAT PUDDING!"

Startled at the shout that had erupted just behind her, the girl lifted her head just in time to see the very blond-haired boy of whom she'd been writing moments ago, running right past her with a cup of pudding in one hand. Following behind him seconds later was a girl, also blond but with her hair being slightly paler, with a look of murder on her face. "Naruto, if you don't surrender that pudding, by Kami I swear I'll…!" the girl raged.

"I bought it fair and square! My money, my pudding!" Naruto flung over his shoulder defiantly.

"I reserved that pudding! You got it by cheating!" the blond girl screamed, not letting up in her chase.

Blinking momentarily as she watched the bizarre chase heading away from her position, the writer resumed her notations.

_Okay…I just saw him run past me, and there was a girl chasing him. Something about pudding…but I've seen them together before. They fuss and argue every so often, and yet…there seems to be a kind of closeness between them that's covered up by all the fussing. Could she be…_

Her writing hand stopped. She didn't want to jot down what was racing through her mind. But she steeled herself.

_Could she be his girlfriend?_

She bit her lip.

_I've seen the girl before. She's the one I've heard getting into arguments with Haruno Sakura-san…Ino, I think her name is. I've never talked to her before, myself, though…hmm…_

**OoOoO**

"Dammit, Naruto, for the last time, give me that pudding!" Ino exploded, tearing after Naruto even as startled students hurried to move out of the chase's path.

"Make me!" Naruto yelled back, turning his head briefly to stick his tongue out at the vengeful Ino.

Just at that moment he rounded a corner—and collided head-on with another student, who was coming out of a classroom with a hamburger in one hand. "Oof!" Naruto grunted, as he and the other person dropped full-tilt to the ground, the burger and the pudding going flying and splattering together along the corridor.

"Ow…" the other student flinched as he held his scraped elbow.

"Ugh…sorry about that…I was running from a psychotic girl," Naruto explained sheepishly. "You all right there?"

"Yeah, I'll live…" The other boy paused. "Hey, where's my burger?"

"NARUTO!" Ino came right around the corner at that moment, frightening her quarry. "Now I've got you, you pudding-thief! Time for you to…" Suddenly her voice trailed off. "Uh…"

"Time for me to _what?"_ Naruto asked scornfully, getting back and up and putting his hands on his hips while glaring at Ino.

But Ino wasn't even looking at him anymore; she was looking past him, at the splattered pudding on the ground. "Is that…the pudding?" she asked in a small voice.

The boy with whom Naruto had collided, at that same moment, caught sight of what was left of his burger on the ground. "M-m-my burger…"

"Uh…yeah…sorry about that, buddy…" Naruto offered.

"**YOU MADE ME DROP MY BURGER!"** the boy spun around and roared in his face, causing Naruto to develop a giant sweat-drop on his head while his hair stood on end.

"**YOU THREW AWAY PUDDING!"** Ino screeched in the same breath, fire in her eyes.

The students who were in the vicinity swiftly backed off, terror clear on their faces. "Run for your life, dude!" one of them shouted at Naruto, who didn't waste time following the advice.

**OoOoO**

_So…his name is Naruto…that girl shouted it when they ran past me just now. Hmm…_

The dark-haired girl was still writing in her book. Now and then she looked up, as though expecting the subject of her writing to pass by again at any point, and each time she didn't see him she just shook her head and resumed writing.

_I wish I could get to talk to him…I'd really like to make friends with him…if that's all I can achieve, then it would be fine…I couldn't possibly expect to get anything more than that, seeing as he hangs around Ino so much…_

"HEY, C'MON, I SAID I WAS SORRY!"

Looking up at the sound of Naruto's voice, she was just in time to see him run right past her again. Ino was once more in hot pursuit, but this time she was accompanied by a stout, brown-haired boy who was moving surprisingly fast despite his size. "I'LL AVENGE MY BURGER, YOU BASTARD!" the brown-haired boy roared.

"YOU'RE GONNA BUY BACK THAT PUDDING, NARUTO-BAKA!" Ino shrieked.

The writer blinked at the sight of the strange chase. Then she resumed writing, her pen moving faster than previously.

_They just ran past me again…but this time Chouji-kun was running with them. I wonder what happened?_

The pen paused briefly.

_Speaking of Chouji-kun…he and I share Science class together. He's not one of the brightest in that area, but he's certainly willing to make friends, and he's always been pretty jolly up to today. Although, he sure eats a lot…I am starting to worry that maybe he could get diabetic if he doesn't watch his weight…I've only talked to him maybe once or twice, though, so I don't know how he'll take it if he's approached about such a personal topic…_

**OoOoO**

Naruto was now running along the corridor leading to the staff-room; that thought breezed past his mind as fast as he was running. Glancing behind him, he was shocked to see that Ino and the fat kid were able to keep up with him this long. "Gotta lose them somehow," he whispered.

…right before he ran full-tilt into something that felt at once soft and firm. "Eh?" he exclaimed in a suddenly muffled voice, right before something gently pushed him backward, causing him to fall on his butt.

"Young man, you ought to watch where you're running," an older female voice said seriously.

"Wha…?" Looking up, Naruto beheld a woman in a red cotton jacket with matching knee-length skirt and black high-heeled shoes that seemed to complement her wavy shoulder-length black hair. More immediately, however, his eyes caught sight of the fact that, although modestly covered up by her blouse, the woman's bust was nonetheless quite…sizeable. "Uh, sorry…"

"Got you at last, Naruto!" Ino's shrill voice rang out right behind him, causing his hair to stand on end.

"Payback time, punk!" the fat kid's voice rose up at the same time, causing Naruto's face to turn pale.

"Eep!" Instantaneously Naruto was on his feet and scrambling behind the female teacher. "Please save me, sensei! These crazy people want to kill me!" he cried out.

The teacher, Yuhi Kurenai, looked briefly at the blond-haired boy using her as refuge from the two clearly angry students. She'd been with the school only two years, but already she'd become quite experienced at defusing tensions such as these in a diplomatic manner. "Yamanaka Ino-kun, Akimichi Choji-kun," she addressed the fuming pair. "What exactly did this boy do?"

"He bumped into me and made me drop my burger!" Choji cried.

"He bought the last pudding from the cafeteria after I'd already reserved it, and then he spilled it all!" Ino exclaimed.

"H-hey, come on! I didn't mean for your burger to drop! It was just because SHE was chasing me!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Ino. "And since when do YOU have monopolies on pudding?" he demanded of her.

"Settle down, settle down," Kurenai admonished the three. "What's your name, youngster?" she directed at Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto, sensei," Naruto replied.

"Very well, then. Uzumaki-kun, you will make amends to Akimichi-kun by replacing his meal, since it was you who bumped into him and caused him to drop it in the first place," Kurenai instructed. "As for you, Yamanaka-kun, let the pudding issue rest. There will always be more tomorrow."

"Yosh!" Choji stuck a victorious fist into the air, while Naruto gave a resigned shrug.

"Let it rest?" Ino cried out in outrage.

"Unless you want to spend an hour in detention after school—it _was_ because you chased Naruto-kun that both the burger and the pudding were lost in the first place, yes?" and Kurenai gave her a piercing stare out of crimson eyes.

"Um…letting it rest seems like a good idea," Ino said with a suddenly sheepish grin.

"All right—we still have some time before the lunch period is over. Buy me a double-cheeseburger, Naruto!" Choji trumpeted.

"Uh…yeah…" Naruto nodded hesitantly, even as the trio now walked in the direction of the cafeteria.

Pausing a moment to watch the three students' departure, Kurenai turned to head in the opposite direction…and saw one of her fellow teachers leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest, a curious glint in his eye. "What, Kakashi?" she inquired of him.

"That blond boy should be thanking his lucky stars from here on out…who knows when next he'll have a suitable _air-bag_ to soften one of his crashes," and it was hard not to detect the smirk in Kakashi's tone, even if his dust-mask covered his lower face and hid the physical expression.

At once Kurenai blushed intensely. "Shut up!" she snapped and walked off a bit too quickly, while Kakashi cocked an eyebrow and chuckled.

**OoOoO**

"Whaaaaaaaat? Out of burgers already?" Naruto cried in dismay.

The lunch server shrugged. "Sorry, kid, but everybody's been snapping them up like crazy today," she told him. "Better luck tomorrow, I guess."

"Ugh…" Groaning in disgust, Naruto turned to leave—and was face-to-face with Choji and Ino. "Um…they're all out…"

"Unacceptable!" Choji exploded. "You _will _make amends like Yuhi-sensei said, or else you'd better sleep with one eye open tonight!"

"Better make that _both_ eyes—I don't care what Yuhi-sensei said, I'll make you pay for spilling that pudding!" Ino raged in Naruto's face.

"Uh, well…" Naruto's mind worked as quickly as he could make it work. "Listen, man, how about I take you to Burger Castle after school? They've got pretty decent stuff there, at good prices!"

"Burger Castle?" Choji's face lit up at that. "That's my favorite place! Though I don't get to go often…"

"That still doesn't explain what you intend to do about the pudding," Ino muttered darkly.

"Ummm…" Naruto scowled—then suddenly pointed in the direction behind Ino. "Hey, is that a naked Sasuke over there?"

"What? Where?" Ino spun around, hearts in her eyes and a nose-bleed forming on her face—but as soon as she realized there was no naked Sasuke in the area, her visage turned back to one of rage. "Why, you lying little—" She turned back around…and there was no Naruto. "Huh? Where'd he…"

"Ran off while you were distracted with your perverted thoughts," Choji said blandly. "Well, at least I'm assured of Burger Castle this afternoon. Later!" And he casually walked off, leaving the fuming Ino behind.

"I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, UZUMAKI NARUTO!" Ino screamed skyward, while the other students in the cafeteria gave her weird looks and scooted as far away from her as they could.

**OoOoO**

"Hee, hee, hee…that'll teach Ino…upset about pudding, of all things," Naruto chuckled to himself moments later. "And it was MY pudding, too, so I don't see what she was so angry about anyway…"

Snorting disdainfully, he rounded a corner—and walked full-tilt into someone. "Eek!" the person cried out, stumbling backward and landing on her rear.

"Oh! Uh, sorry!" Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Third time today I'm running into somebody else…I must be jinxed or something. You all right?"

The other student, dark-haired and with soft gray eyes, stayed right where she was sitting on the ground, a huge blush forming on her cheeks. "U-u-um…I think so…" she managed to reply.

"Yeah, well…here," Naruto offered her his hand to help her up, and she accepted it after some hesitation. "Sorry about that," he added as he pulled her to her feet.

"Um…i-it's nothing, really…it was just an accident," the girl replied, rubbing the tips of her index fingers together while avoiding eye contact.

It was then that Naruto noticed something—the girl had dropped her book-bag on the ground, and a number of items had spilled out of it when they'd bumped into each other, including a leather-covered book, and it lay there with its pages open but facedown. "This is?" he said, bending down to pick the book up.

The girl's blush immediately vanished as her face turned pale. "N-no! Please, that's…!" she exclaimed.

Naruto saw her discomfort. "Hmm?" He looked at the book's cover; its pages were still facedown, away from his view…and with a flourish he shut the book altogether. "Something private, right?"

The blush returning to her face, the girl just nodded. "Mmm-hmm."

"That's all right." Naruto stuffed the book and the other spilled items back into the bag, and then handed the bag back to her. "We're all entitled to a little privacy sometimes. Here."

"Th-thank you," the girl answered, accepting her bag. "Um…"

"Eh?" Naruto looked quizzically at her.

But the girl shook her head, her blush even deeper now than it was before. "N-no. It's nothing. Please excuse me." She gave a quick little bow and then turned and ran off.

"Uh…okay?" Naruto scratched his head again. "That was weird…"

**OoOoO**

The girl hurried to where she'd been heading previously, a classroom where her next scheduled session would be following the lunch period. Grateful to find it empty, she shot into the nearest available seat, dug into her bag and pulled out the mystery book. Whipping out a pen, she opened it to where she'd last made an entry and began writing furiously.

_I ran into that boy just now…Naruto…he almost read what I wrote here, but he didn't…he actually respected my privacy…and yet, I couldn't even find it in me to introduce myself…not even to tell him my name…_

For the first time, a frustrated look came into her eyes. _"My name is Hyuga Hinata"…how hard could it be to just say that? Damn it…_

**OoOoO**

Later that afternoon…

"Freedom at last!" Naruto exulted as the last bell rang to signal the end of the day's activities. Hoisting his book-bag over his shoulder, he marched triumphantly to the school-gate. "Now if I can just get out of here without Ino seeing me…"

"Oi, blondie!" the now-familiar voice of Choji Akimichi called out behind him.

"Oh, no…" Naruto groaned and looked back. "Don't tell me…yep, it's you."

"Don't think I was gonna let you off the hook just like that—you promised to treat me at Burger Castle, remember?" Choji demanded, walking right up to him. "Now you get to pay for my lost burger!"

"Right, right, I get it," Naruto nodded. "All right, let's just get this over with." Under his breath he added, "It's not as if you don't need more fat on you anyway, blubber-boy…"

Unfortunately, Choji heard the insult. "I'm not fat! I'm just big-boned!"

"Elephants are big-boned! You're a human being!" Naruto shot back.

"Can I help it if I have a healthy appetite?" Choji argued.

"If you call eating enough for an entire city a healthy appetite…" Naruto began.

"Whatever!" Choji clamped a huge hand on Naruto's shoulder. "We're off to Burger Castle now, that's what's most important here! Now, march!"

"Sheesh…" Nonetheless Naruto had no choice but to walk along with the physically bigger student.

**OoOoO**

"Welcome to Burger Castle! May I take your order?" the female server said brightly, pen and notepad at the ready as she stood over Naruto and Choji's table.

"Uh, yeah…" Choji quickly scanned the menu. "I'll have a double-cheeseburger, with extra fries…oh, and two regular hamburgers, extra sauce…and a strawberry milkshake."

"Wow! Someone's got a fine appetite today!" the server commented, impressed, as she jotted down the order. "And what for you?" she asked Naruto.

"Just one regular hamburger, no fries, and a bottle of water," Naruto replied, resting his chin on one hand.

"Right-o! We'll bring your order in a little bit!" said the server, and she walked off and left the two boys to themselves.

"You're basically eating three burgers…won't your mom get mad at you for ruining your dinner?" Naruto scowled. "Not to mention, all my pocket money's done for today thanks to you…"

"Well, if you hadn't made me drop my burger at school, we wouldn't be here, would we?" Choji wagged a rebuking finger. "And anyway, eating three burgers is easy for me."

"Like I said, you're nothing but a fatso," Naruto grumbled.

"Oi! We of the Akimichi family have a good appreciation for food, that's all! Being fat or slim has nothing to do with it!" said Choji. "And I, for one, definitely know how to appreciate food!" he added proudly, tapping his chest with one fist.

"With that kind of pride, it's a wonder the school cafeteria survives with you around," Naruto deadpanned. "What's with the obsession with food, anyway? Do your folks run a catering service or something?

"Actually, my dad runs a butcher shop downtown,_ Akimichi Meats,"_ Choji explained. _"_Whether chicken, mutton, beef, lamb, veal, fish…if it's meat, we sell it at the most affordable prices. Where else are you gonna get quality veal for forty bucks a pound or less?" he added boastfully.

"Hmm, sounds interesting," said Naruto.

"Wait, what? You didn't know about us before? Where've you been all these years, living under a rock?" Choji asked in surprise. "Everybody in Konoha Town knows about our business! We supply meat to at least half the population here!"

"I haven't been in Konoha Town that long," Naruto admitted. "I've basically only been here a week. I transferred here from Whirl City."

"Ah," Choji nodded in understanding. "That's a reasonable explanation, then. In that case, stick with me a while, and I'll show you all the best places to get good business for whatever you need!"

"What are you, a walking advertisement for Konoha Town, now?" Naruto needled him.

"Nah, nothing like that, said Choji. "We try to help our customers improve their business by pointing potential clients to them. They, in turn, point potential meat-buyers to us. One hand washes the other, you know?"

"Hmm…I guess so," said Naruto.

By and by the server arrived with a large tray bearing their orders. "Here you go, guys!" she said cheerfully, setting their items before them.

"All right! Time to dig in!" Choji said happily, picking up the biggest of his three burgers and biting into it.

"Yeah…dig deep into my pockets to cover all of this," Naruto sighed, less than happily.

**OoOoO**

Parked a short distance away from the Burger Castle building, but still keeping it in their sights, Detectives Morino Ibiki and Umino Iruka sat in their squad car, drinking coffee from Styrofoam cups and munching on donuts. "They've been in there about fifteen minutes now," Ibiki commented, pausing briefly to sip his coffee.

"We've been at this all week, and so far, Naruto-kun hasn't done anything untoward," Iruka pointed out.

"Well, we're still going to follow orders from the mayor and the chief," Ibiki answered. "Don't forget, Umino-kun, this is Kurama the Fox we're talking about."

Iruka regarded his partner. "You don't like the kid very much, do you? Because of his reputation, I mean. Even though he helped bring down Mizuki and stopped that other bunch of punks the other day…"

"My personal feelings are irrelevant in the matter," Ibiki said flatly. "What, are you getting a soft spot for Uzumaki or something? Or have you forgotten that he's one of the Nine Terrors?"

"He **was** one of the Nine Terrors," replied Iruka, stressing the word. "He's not, anymore."

"That remains to be seen." Ibiki took another sip from his coffee cup. "365 days of rampaging and causing terror across the region is not something to look at lightly—and he was part of it for certain. Oh, he might desire to atone for it now, I'll allow, but that does not erase what he did back then. People suffered, lost loved ones, were made homeless, and succumbed to violence and crime as a result of that year of insanity that the Kyuushingai caused. Even now, nobody still knows _why_ those nine did it, and I'm pretty certain this one here," jabbing his thumb at Burger Castle for emphasis, "isn't going to be talking about it any time soon."

Iruka leaned back in his seat and crossed his hands behind his head. "Speaking of which…I wonder what happened to the other eight Kyuushingai?" he asked.

"Probably scattered here and there…if we're lucky, they're dead," said Ibiki. "Having one here in town is enough paperwork for me. If the others show up…then Chief Inuzuka will have been right and Uzumaki will have been a walking trouble magnet after all."

"That really all depends on whether Naruto-kun makes contact with any of the other eight, I would suppose," said Iruka, pausing to take a bite out of a donut.

"Hmm." Ibiki sipped from his coffee cup again. "As it stands, we're keeping a close eye on him. Those are our orders."

"Yeah, yeah, I get that," Iruka nodded. "All the same, I'm glad for the calm Konoha Town's been experiencing since that guy helped put down Mizuki."

"Ever hear of the calm before the storm, Umino-kun?" asked Ibiki. "I'm up for following Chief Inuzuka's intuition and taking it a step further. You think everything is fine and dandy, all sunshine and cool breezes, and then without warning—" He slurped down the last of his coffee.

"A clap of thunder comes to ruin the perfect weather?" Iruka finished for him.

"Pretty much." Ibiki deposited the now-empty cup on the floor of the car. "The only question at this point is, will it be Uzumaki that sparks the storm, or will that trigger come from outside? Either way, he'll be at the center of it."

"The center of the storm is its calmest point," Iruka pointed out, amusement in his voice. "And speaking of which…"

From the Burger Castle entrance, the object of their surveillance was just now coming out with his fat friend. "And they part company…and here he comes," Iruka said casually.

"And he's coming our way…" Ibiki's eyes narrowed.

Presently Naruto walked up to Ibiki's side of the car. "Howdy, guys," he greeted them. "If you're going to stalk me, at least be a little less obvious about it, eh?"

Ibiki lifted an eyebrow at that. "Knowing you, I assume you knew about us watching you from before today, right?"

"Don't take it personally, Naruto-kun. We're just following orders," Iruka said smoothly.

"Right, right. And the day I decide to lay waste to Konoha Town, you'll be the first to know in advance." Naruto smirked as he saw Ibiki tense up. "Relax and get your drawers untwisted, man. I actually have to live here, too, you know. Lighten up."

"Just remember, we're keeping an eye on you, boy." Ibiki's voice was low.

"As long as you don't try to watch my bathroom habits, I'm cool with that," Naruto shrugged.

"Naruto-kun, we're not your enemies. Please understand, it's our job as the police to ensure everyone's well-being, including your own," said Iruka. "At the very least, work with us in ensuring that well-being."

"Mmm-hmm. Well, I'm gonna go home now. Trail me, or whatever else you're up to." With that, Naruto walked off, leaving the two cops behind in their car.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 6

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: So Hinata, Choji, and Kurenai have been introduced into the story. Who else will show up? How will these characters impact the plot? And how long will it be before serious action starts again?

Chapter 7 is on the way!


	7. Batter Up

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 7: Batter Up**

"…therefore, when humans and animals consume food, digestion does not begin immediately in the stomach as we commonly suppose," the Science teacher spoke in a flat, almost bored tone of voice. "Rather, it begins in the mouth, during the chewing process, when the enzymes in the saliva aid in breaking down the food to permit the absorption of nutrients into the body. When the food is chewed, it is broken down and softened for easier digestion…"

Many of the students in the class were bored out of their skulls, and Nara Shikamaru was one of them. Sitting near the window, he was resting his chin on one hand, glancing outside and trying to form interesting imaginary shapes out of the clouds. If he had had his way, he'd be outside lying down on the grass and watching the clouds float by, instead of being stuck in this stuffy classroom with all his equally jaded classmates and a teacher who only seemed to be reciting from a mental script for the sake of picking up a monthly paycheck.

"In contrast to humans and animals, plants receive their nutrients through a completely different process called photosynthesis," the teacher droned on. "This is where the plant absorbs light energy from the sun and converts it into chemical energy, and also absorbs nutrients from water in the soil at the same time…"

Trying his best to stifle a yawn, Shikamaru glanced around at his classmates. Very few of them were actually interested in such a boring lecture; among these was the pink-haired Haruno Sakura, who was sitting two rows away from him, and she was paying rapt attention and jotting notes every few seconds. Two seats behind Sakura, the dark-haired and overly-popular Uchiha Sasuke was sitting with an expression that plainly said he was wishing he was elsewhere; a couple of girls sitting near to him were eyeing him and stifling fan-girl giggles while they passed notes back and forth to each other, no doubt about him.

"All living organisms need water to survive; for example, human beings can potentially survive for up to several weeks without food, but going without water for a day, at most, will result in the death of the human organism," the teacher was now saying. "The human body needs, on average, six to eight glasses of water every day, in order to carry out its regular functions, including the excretion of different wastes, the replacement of dead cells with healthy cells, and the production…"

Shikamaru's eyes continued roaming around the classroom, before stopping on the blond-haired boy sitting at the very back of the class, in the far corner, with his head against the wall and a small trail of drool trickling from the corner of his mouth as he snoozed. _Lucky bastard,_ Shikamaru thought ruefully.

A swift movement caught his eye—then the next thing he knew, the teacher took up a blackboard eraser from his desk and flung it at the blond kid, hitting him square in the chest. "Uzumaki!" the teacher snapped.

"Wh-wh-wha—!" the student exclaimed, startled awake, even as a few other students now snickered and turned to look at him.

Ah, yes. Shikamaru remembered now—that guy was a new transfer student, here only a week so far. Uzumaki Naruto was his name, if Shikamaru recalled correctly from his chat with Choji earlier that morning. Choji had said the two had hung out at Burger Castle yesterday evening…something about the new guy having to buy back a burger he'd knocked out of Choji's hand after a collision on the corridor.

"Glad to see you're back with us, Uzumaki," the teacher remarked, his voice back to the same bored tone from before. "I do apologize if you were dreaming about things pertaining to the lesson…otherwise, save the sleeping for when you're actually home in your bed."

The comment drew even more snickers from the other students, but Naruto merely yawned. "Make your lesson less boring and we can make a deal," he grunted carelessly.

Shikamaru had to hand it to the new guy—he had balls.

"Hmm." The teacher frowned. "Well, Uzumaki, if I'm boring you so much, perhaps you'd like to shake off that boredom after school—with one class session's worth of detention?"

"Eh, well, whatever works for you," Naruto answered with no emotion on his face.

Shikamaru glimpsed Sakura face-palming at this new student's brazenness, while Sasuke simply shook his head and silently scoffed. For his part, Shikamaru wasn't sure whether to silently comment or criticize Naruto on his indifference at the prospect of detention.

He wondered how the guy's previous school had put up with such a rebel for as long as they had.

**OoOoO**

"Eh? You're going into detention after school today?" Ino asked Naruto incredulously.

"Yeah, just because I fell asleep in class," Naruto shrugged. "But if you're a boring teacher, what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Weeeeeelllllll…" Suddenly Ino gave an evil smirk. "At the very least, now I know I've got you cornered."

"What?" Naruto gave her a look.

"I still haven't yet forgiven you for the whole pudding thing yesterday," said Ino, wagging a condemning finger in front of Naruto's face. "At least this time, I know you won't be able to get away. As soon as you get out of detention, I'm going to have my revenge."

"Aw, come on! It's just pudding!" Naruto protested.

"DON'T DISRESPECT PUDDING!" Ino exploded, fangs in her mouth.

The two of them were no longer wearing their regular school uniforms, as it was Physical Education period, and they were clad in the school's requisite P.E. uniforms: a white-and-green striped baseball jersey with gray pants and a black baseball cap in Naruto's case, and a white blouse with a black skirt over short black tights in Ino's case. "Well, anyway, I'm going over to the volleyball court—today we're practicing for the inter-class tournament in another few weeks," Ino told him. "Try not to get knocked over by the baseball pitchers, now!"

"Right, right," Naruto grumbled, and he walked off with a slight wave to Ino.

"Yosh!" Ino turned and walked over to the volleyball court, where several other girls dressed in garb similar to hers were in the process of doing some warm-up exercises. Bending down, she secured her sneaker-laces as tightly as she could, and then stood up and stretched as high as she could reach. "Bring it on, volleyball!" she said aloud.

"U-um…excuse me, Ino-san…"

Turning at the sound of the voice calling her name, Ino beheld a dark-haired, gray-eyed girl walking up to her. "Uh…you're…" she began.

"Hyuga Hinata," the other girl introduced herself.

"Yes, yes—Neji's relative, right? I've seen you around before," Ino remarked. "Can I help you?"

"Um…actually…I wanted to ask you something…" Hinata held her hands behind her back and seemed a little nervous.

"Hmm?" Ino looked curiously at her. "What about?"

"OI, INO-PIG!"

Suddenly scowling, Ino spun around to face Haruno Sakura, who at that moment was walking up to her in a haughty manner. "Well, well, if it isn't Miss Mountain-Forehead," she snapped back. "Don't you have anything better to do than to troll me?"

Sakura glanced at Hinata. "I've nothing against you, so I'll ask you to step off for a bit," she said casually. "My business is with the pork-lady here."

Hinata looked from one to the other of them, uncertain what to do. "Uh…"

"Don't worry, I'll be with you in a bit," Ino waved Hinata off. "This has been long overdue."

Sensing the conflict, the other girls lounging around the court looked on warily, even as Hinata stepped back from the confrontation between Sakura and Ino. "All right, now that that's out of the way," said Sakura, "it's just you and me, Miss Piggy."

**OoOoO**

Not far away, on the edge of the field, the boys were gathering their baseball gear together, even as their coach, Shiranui Genma, blew his whistle to get them together. "All right, boys, up and at 'em!" Coach Genma shouted. "Class 2-B, everyone here?"

"Yes, Coach!" the boys all shouted.

"Good, very good!" Coach Genma nodded. "Okay—for this session, you'll be pitted against the boys in Class 2-C, as part of the ongoing training for the upcoming inter-school baseball league in May. I want you all to be on your best behavior, remember that you're all still schoolmates, and play hard but also play fair. Got it?"

"Yes, Coach!" the resounding response came back to him.

"Good!" Coach Genma nodded. "All right now, speaking of which…" He glanced off to one side and saw several other boys approaching, some hurrying to put on their baseball gear. "Oi, slowpokes, hurry up! We don't have all morning!"

**OoOoO**

"Oi, Jugo." As the members of Class 2-C hurried forward on Coach Shiranui's command, the white-haired boy among them nudged his orange-haired classmate. "Look over there. See that blond kid?" he nodded in the direction of one of the boys from Class 2-B.

Jugo, the taller and more muscular of the two, nodded in reply. "I see him, Suigetsu. What about him?"

Hozuki Suigetsu grinned, revealing some sharp-looking shark-like teeth. "There's a little rumor that's been going around that says he's the one who beat Rokusho Aoi and the Hall Monitors' Guild in town last week. Now, looking at him, you wouldn't really expect much, but they say never to judge a book by its cover, right? So I'm going to test him."

"How?" Jugo wondered.

"Just watch and wait; you'll soon see," and Suigetsu chuckled.

**OoOoO**

"Wasn't it embarrassing enough that you had to lose out to me academically last year? Don't you think you just go sit on the sidelines and save yourself the shame of me knocking you on your flat ass?" Sakura sneered at Ino, even as the other girls slowly gathered around them in anticipation.

Ino crossed her arms over her chest. "Better to have a flat ass than a swollen head," she replied.

"All right, ladies, break it up!" a commanding female voice shouted; and, turning, all the girls saw a short-haired but decidedly muscular woman walking up to them, holding a volleyball in one hand. "If you've got issues among you, settle them on the court!"

Mitarashi Anko had been coaching the girls' P.E. sessions for quote some number of years, though she was fairly young herself in contrast to many of the teaching staff, and she well knew how to deal with unruly girls under her care. She especially knew how to deal with these two particular girls; it wasn't just the students alone who knew of their rivalry from last year. "Haruno, Yamanaka, I'm appointing you as team captains for today's exercise," she continued. "Choose your team members and start practice!"

"Hai, sensei!" Sakura and Ino replied simultaneously. Then, as one, they both turned to Hinata. "You're on my team!"

"H-h-huh?" Hinata gave them both a bewildered look.

"What the?" Sakura and Ino cried simultaneously. "Hey, step off! I picked her first!" they shouted at each other at the same time.

Anko covered her face with one hand. "This was not such a good idea…"

"Go pick somebody else, big-head! I want Hinata on my team!" Ino snapped.

"Over my dead body, swine-girl!" Sakura said heatedly.

The next thing they both knew, the volleyball slammed into Sakura's head and bounced off violently, hitting Ino right in the face. "OW!" both screamed out.

"Let's try this another way," said Coach Anko, a vein bulging on her head as she picked up the volleyball and gave the two an impatient look. "Hyuga, whose team do you want to go on? If either of them says one word to stop you from choosing, I'll make that person run twenty laps around the soccer field."

"Um…" Hinata looked from one to the other of the two girls. "I-I think I'll go with Ino-san…"

"Brilliant!" Coach Anko nodded. "Yamanaka, that means you have four more players to choose for your team. Haruno, you still have to pick five players for your side—so get to it!"

Rubbing her head where Coach Anko had hit her with the volleyball, Sakura shot Ino a dark look. "Just wait…I'll crush you!" she hissed.

Ino gave her a nasty smirk. "Bring it on."

**OoOoO**

Back on the boys' side, Coach Genma flipped a coin, caught it, and slapped it down on the back of his hand, covering the result with his other hand. As all the boys watched, he revealed the coin. "Okay, tails," he announced. "That means Class 2-C gets to bat first. Boys of 2-B, get your players in order now!"

"Yes, sir!" the boys of 2-B responded, and they swiftly huddled together to plan their roles.

"Okay, obviously all of us can't play at once," one boy pointed out. "We need nine guys, and we need to pick the right ones or else 2-C will beat us."

"Got that right," another agreed. "So what do we do, then? Do we play with our usual picks, or…?"

"Perhaps we should shift our strategy somewhat," a third boy spoke up, drawing the others' attention to him. This boy, bearing bushy brown hair and wearing round-rimmed sunglasses, glanced around to ensure he had everyone's attention, and then continued, "Even though this is just a practice exercise, no doubt 2-C will be familiar with our lineup from previous sessions. We have had at least three practice sessions against them up to now; that is more than enough for them to know how to take advantage of our weaknesses."

"What do you suggest, then, Shino-san?" the first boy who'd spoken inquired.

Aburame Shino, having always prided himself on being able to plan and calculate good strategies, glanced around at the others, before allowing his eyes to settle on the class's newest addition. "Naruto-san, is it?" he addressed the blond boy. "Did you play much baseball at your last school?"

"Eh, I played a bit here and there; I wasn't on the school team, though," Naruto admitted.

Shino nodded. He hadn't gotten to know his new classmate since the other boy's arrival at Konoha High the week before, but if their class was to have a chance of giving a decent showing in this exercise, he needed to know whether to allow Naruto into 2-B's playing lineup now, or keep him on the sidelines until it was their turn to bat. "What can you do? What's your strength?" he asked.

"I'm more of a batter, but I can throw a mean ball," Naruto said confidently.

"Okay." Shino nodded again. "Very well, then, here's what we'll do. For the first three batters, we'll have Naruto-san pitch against them, just so we can see how well he does; depending on his performance, we may either let him continue against all of their batters, or take some and rest before our turn to bat. We'll use the usual players for the other positions."

"Right!" the others said in unison.

**OoOoO**

A little distance away from the playfields, Neji strolled up to the perimeter fence separating the fields from the school buildings and looked out, first at the baseball area where the boys of Classes 2-B and 2-C were preparing to start their game, and then at the volleyball court where the girls had already begun their match-up. On one side of the volleyball net, he could see Hinata running here and there, trying to keep pace with her teammates. "Hmm."

"Ah, watching your cousin play her game, are you, Neji-san?" a boy asked him.

Neji turned to look at the questioner. Rock Lee, one of his classmates, sported a bowl-like haircut and a big grin. "Family loyalty is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Lee continued, flashing Neji a thumbs-up as his grin got even wider and somehow sparkled. "You coming here to encourage Hinata-san in her game, that's so kindhearted of you!"

"Pfft. Don't you have something else to do other than bug me, Lee?" Neji asked irritably.

"Well, since we're in the same year and the same class together, that means that, like you, I have a free period now," Lee told him. "So what better way to spend the time than with a precious classmate?"

"Whatever," Neji grunted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ah, yes, that reminds me," Lee went on. "Lately I've noticed that Tenten has been coming to school looking rather tired. Could it be that you two are…?"

Neji gave him a suspicious look. "What are you trying to say, idiot?"

"Now, now, Neji-san, I'm only stating what I've observed," Lee said casually, crossing his hands behind his head while grinning even more. "For the last few months, every evening when I invite Tenten to go and hang out, she always says she has things she needs to do; and every time I've asked _you_ to hang out, you say you're busy. Could it be that you and she are going off on secret dates…and possibly even doing…?"

"Doing what, you moron?" Neji hissed, his eyes widening in shock. "Listen here, Lee—Tenten and I are classmates, nothing more. Don't go inferring things that aren't there!"

"Are you sure you're only classmates?" Lee chuckled. "In case you haven't noticed, Neji-san, Tenten is rather sweet on you."

"That's just your hyperactive imagination running wild, you grinning idiot!" Neji scoffed, looking away haughtily—but that did not erase the grin from his classmate's face.

**OoOoO**

Suigetsu was at bat, and he raised his instrument over his shoulder as he stared down Naruto, at the pitcher's mound. "I'll knock your pitch all the way to the sea," he muttered loudly.

Across from him, Naruto twirled the ball in his hand a few times, shifting his shoulders back and forth. Then, raising his pitching hand, he got into formation—and flung the ball with tremendous power. Seeing the ball coming, Suigetsu's eyes widened in surprise at its speed, swung—and missed.

"Strike one!" Coach Genma shouted.

Shino, serving as the catcher behind Suigetsu, felt his gloved hand sting a little as the ball rested in his grip, having just found its way there from Naruto's throw. _He's got a strong arm,_ he mused to himself as he tossed the ball back to Naruto.

Although Aburame Shino was not usually the social kind of individual, and only participated in events such as this P.E. session because it was mandatory, he had a knack for observation of individuals and their personalities. Ever since his blond classmate had been introduced to their home-room the previous week, Shino had studied him at every opportunity, taking mental note of everything he felt was necessary to know about this Uzumaki Naruto who'd transferred from Whirl City to come all the way here to Konoha Town. Not that he'd ever admitted it out loud to anyone, of course, least of all Naruto, as he hadn't directly interacted with the other boy prior to now. He _had_ seen Naruto's antics with Yamanaka Ino, with whom Shino shared a few other classes, and had tucked it away in his mind that Naruto had the propensity for making other people get volatile with him over the slightest infractions. All the same, he had to admit that it was a preliminary conclusion to draw, and more observation would be needed.

As it was, he readied himself to catch the next pitch Naruto should sail past Suigetsu…who, Shino noticed, had gotten a little worked up after missing the first one. Suigetsu's grip on the bat tightened and his shoulders stiffened—not a good position for a batter who hoped to react to a pitch on time. And Suigetsu definitely missed the next pitch, even as Shino barely managed to hide his wince as the ball smacked into his glove.

"Strike two!" Coach Genma called out.

"Bastard…" Suigetsu growled under his breath as he readied himself to swing the bat once more—but again he missed Naruto's pitch, which found its place in Shino's glove once again.

"Strike three! You're out!" Coach Genma shouted.

"Ugh…" Suigetsu flung down the bat—clear unsportsmanlike conduct, Shino mentally noted—and stomped off.

**OoOoO**

The volleyball game wore on, as the ball got knocked from one side of the net to the other, each team desperately trying to ensure it didn't fall on their side and cause them to lose points. Every few moments one of the girls would make an aggressive attempt to knock the ball over to the other side with a jump and a downward hand-stroke dangerously close to the net, but more often than not the efforts were retarded by the other side. So far, the score was tied at 1-1.

_Fweeeeet!_ Coach Anko blew her whistle, bringing the game to a halt. "All right, ladies, take five, then rotate your teams and let the fresh players on!" she ordered.

As Ino and her sweating fellow players walked off to one side of the court, she found herself sitting next to Hinata. "Hey, you're actually pretty good out there," she remarked.

"Um, arigato," Hinata thanked her, panting heavily from her exertion, but pleased at the praise nonetheless. "You're very skilled yourself, Ino-san."

"But of course!" Ino said importantly, before taking up a bottle of water and taking a huge swig from it. "Want some?" she offered the bottle to Hinata.

"Okay," said Hinata, accepting the bottle and taking a few mouthfuls from it.

"Well, while we're here, how about we see what the boys are up to…" Ino glanced over to the baseball area. "Ah, one of their guys just got tagged out at second base. That sucks."

Turning to see the baseball game, Hinata caught sight of a familiar figure. "That's…"

"Eh?" Ino, too, saw the familiar shock of blond hair. "Ah, Naruto! Looks like he's up to bat next."

"Oh…so that's Naruto…" Hinata watched him keenly. "Um…Ino-san, actually, I wanted to ask you about him…" She blushed a little. "Are you and he…um…what I mean is…"

Ino looked at Hinata, then back in Naruto's direction, then at Hinata again. "Eh, no, no, nothing like that! He and I are just friends, is all!" she declared, waving off Hinata's question and chuckling. "Although…" Suddenly a knowing glint came into her eyes. "If you want, I could introduce you…"

"Eh? Really?" Hinata's blush got even deeper.

Ino grinned. "You thinking of asking him out?"

"N-n-n-no, nothing like that!" Hinata frantically waved her hands in front of her. "I just wanted to meet him, is all!"

"Oh, I can arrange that," said Ino. _And I did promise Naruto I'd get him a girlfriend…maybe the little Hyuga here might be the one!_ she added mentally, while stifling a chuckle at the idea.

**OoOoO**

It was now Naruto's team's turn to bat, and he was the one at the batting pitch, holding the bat as steadily as he could. Ahead of him, Suigetsu was psyching himself to pitch the ball. "All right, pal, you managed to get me out when I was at bat, but this time I'm getting you back," Suigetsu vowed.

"Just pitch the ball already," Naruto scoffed, leveling the bat over his shoulder.

"Heh." Suigetsu readied himself. "Cocky runt, aren't you? I'm gonna wipe that confidence right out of you, punk."

Lifting one leg in the traditional baseball-pitching pose, Suigetsu let fly with the ball—and it went straight ahead…at Naruto's head. "WHOA!" Naruto exclaimed, jerking backward to avoid the ball just as it flew past him.

_Fweeeet! _Coach Genma blew his whistle. "Hey, what was that just now?" he demanded.

Suigetsu put on a smile. "Sorry about that; my aim must've been bad," he replied, shrugging.

Coach Genma wasn't buying it, however. "You're not supposed to hit the other player with the ball, you know," he said severely. "One more stunt like that, and you're hitting the showers. Got it?"

"Yeah, sure thing, Coach," said Suigetsu, although he couldn't resist smirking while the ball was tossed back to him.

"Fine." Coach Genma blew the whistle again. "All right, play ball!"

Regaining his composure somewhat, Naruto readied himself on the batting pitch again, hefting the bat over his shoulder once more. "Come on."

As he prepared to pitch again, though, Suigetsu narrowed his gaze at Naruto. _So THIS is the guy who beat up Rokusho Aoi? He's pathetic—jumped away from that ball instead of taking it head-on! Well, I guess maybe I was too obvious with that…I'm going to aim lower this time, so it'll look more like an accident when it hits. All right…_ He sized up the blond batter. _Target the stomach—that won't be as obvious, and it'll look like I really was pitching to the catcher. Let's see Coach Genma spot it this time!_

Rearing his leg up again, Suigetsu pulled his arm back, and then sent the ball flying in Naruto's direction with even greater strength. The ball flew fast—heading right for Naruto's midsection.

Naruto's eyes widened as the ball came within one foot of his person—then he shifted to his left—and then he brought the bat around, the wood meeting the ball's leather with a loud CRACK.

Suigetsu's eyes widened at Naruto's speed. "Holy—" was all that managed to escape his mouth as Naruto sent the ball straight back at him…and right into a certain place between his thighs. **"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**

All males in the vicinity winced, sucked in breath between their teeth, and put one or both hands to their crotches, even as Suigetsu tightened his thighs together and fell forward, landing facedown on the ground. "Aw, dude!" one boy exclaimed sympathetically.

Coach Genma, one hand having instinctively gone to his own crotch at the sight of this, frantically blew his whistle with the other hand and rushed over to where Suigetsu now lay curled up in a ball of pain. "Oi, oi! You all right?" he asked.

"Ugh…my…owww…I can't feel my mini-me…" Suigetsu managed to gasp out in anguish.

Quite clearly the only one unaffected by this, Naruto casually swung the bat onto his shoulder. "Sorry about that; my aim must've been bad," he said with mock concern.

Before Coach Genma could reply, an orange-haired boy came over and knelt beside Suigetsu. "Coach, let me take Suigetsu to the nurse," Jugo suggested.

"Y-yes, you do that," Coach Genma nodded. "Everybody else, hit the showers, now! And you…" He turned to Naruto. "You wait right there, I want to have a little chat with you."

"Okay," Naruto sighed, as though reluctant—but the way he continued to casually swing the bat around caused Coach Genma to make a mental note to ask for protective cups for the athletics department at the administration's next budget meeting.

**OoOoO**

"Ouch…that HAD to hurt…" Ino flinched at the sight of the white-haired boy limping off the field with much of his weight resting on the orange-haired boy.

"Mmm-hmm," Hinata nodded, not knowing what else to say.

**OoOoO**

"Ooohhh…that took fifty years off his youthfulness," Lee said sympathetically as he watched the white-haired boy being taken off the field.

"Uh…right…what you said," said Neji, blinking hard, only barely conscious that he was covertly cradling his own groin with one hand.

"But, you know…that blond kid…" Lee looked at Neji in all seriousness. "The way he hit that ball to send it back to the pitcher…was that just chance, do you think?"

"Lee, right now all I know is that I never want to be hit down south like that," Neji shook his head.

"Well, yeah, that's a given," Lee readily agreed.

But Neji mentally filed away what his classmate had said. _Naruto…WAS that deliberate just now? And if it was, it would have required significant timing and reflexes…_ His eyes narrowed. _There definitely seems to be more to you than meets the eye…but what else is there?_

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 7

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: More characters are introduced, and the question remains, how will they impact the story going forward? Well, in the immediate short-term, I can say that several of them will definitely be mainstays, others might only last for one brief arc or two, but I'll try to ensure their appearances are meaningful when they do show up.

Also, I want to point out that so far, when I identify characters by their full names, I have been doing it the Japanese way—family name first, given name next—and that's how I'm going to do it for the remainder of this story, to allow it a sort of Japanese feel (although for the record, this author is himself not Japanese).

Chapter 8 is up next, and the ongoing arc will pick up next chapter!


	8. Dinner

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 8: Dinner**

The school bell had already rung to announce the end of the school day, but there were still a few students lounging around the compound. They had some level of justification for it—some had after-school club meetings that they were attending, some had extra-hours classes to assist in their struggles with difficult subjects, and others were just milling about because they had nothing better to do before they had to go home. And as Principal Shimura Danzo stood at the window of his office and looked out at the lingering student activity, he made a mental note to come up with some way to introduce a rule that no student should be allowed to loiter on the compound after dismissal time without valid cause.

_I should have instituted the rule from the first day I took up this post,_ he thought ruefully as he cast a glance at the clock on the wall a little distance away. 3:30—half an hour since the last bell had rung. That meant that by this time the extra classes and club activities should be halfway over.

Danzo mentally ran the daily school schedule through his memory. Each day's schedule began at 8:30, with a general assembly that lasted until 8:50, to allow students time to get settled into their assigned places for their first class by 9:00. From there, they had a total of three classes until noon, when they would be given an hour's break for lunch. Afterward, classes resumed at 1:00 and continued until 3:00, when the last bell would ring. Following that, clubs, extra lessons and detention periods were given an additional hour, going up to 4:00.

_Oh, well, maybe I can bring in that rule once I can find a suitable pretext for it. Until then, let the students have their little moment of freedom._

**OoOoO**

Unaware of her principal's plan to prevent future loitering on the school compound after hours, Ino stood patiently near the school gate, checking her watch and glancing at the nearby school buildings. "Where is he?" she grumbled. "He should have gotten out of detention by now…"

"Oi, Ino!"

Glancing up at the sound of Naruto's voice, Ino beheld the other blond's approach. "Before you attack me, here," said Naruto, digging into his bag and pulling out a container.

"Is…is that…pudding?" Stars appeared in Ino's eyes. "Oh, thank you, Naruto-kun!" she cried sweetly, snatching the container from him.

"I managed to snag that at lunch today, so I could bribe you," Naruto said casually.

"You mean, to give me as an apology for spilling the pudding yesterday? Well…this will go a ways toward that," Ino said happily, digging into the pudding at once. "So, how'd your detention go?"

"Eh, could have been better, could have been worse," said Naruto. "I had to write 200 times on a sheet of paper, 'I will not fall asleep in class.'" He clenched one hand into a fist, relaxed it, and clenched it again. "Well, at least my hand didn't fall asleep as a result."

"Good thing—you'd need it for your bathroom activities later, right?" said Ino, giving him a wicked smirk.

"Wh-wh-what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto demanded, a bewildered expression on his face.

"But anyway, re the P.E. thing…you mean about the part where you hit that ball into that guy's nuts, right? I saw that from the volleyball court," said Ino, more seriously. "Wasn't that mean, you think?"

"Hey, he tried to take off my head with his first pitch, and then he sent the next one at my gut. What was I supposed to do?" Naruto protested.

"Well, you'll be lucky if he doesn't come after you for revenge…once he's recovered enough to walk on his own." Ino shook her head, and then changed the subject. "By the way, Naruto…remember when I said I'd find you a girlfriend?"

"Eh?" Naruto face-faulted. "You're back with that again?"

"Well, I think I've found someone who might be a nice candidate," said Ino—and then she looked right past Naruto. "Hey, speaking of which, there she is!" she cried, pointing behind him.

Turning to look where Ino was indicating, Naruto saw the same gray-eyed girl he'd run into yesterday…and she was walking with Neji. "Ah—that's the weird girl I met yesterday!" he said. "And she's with that Neji guy…"

"Her name's Hinata," Ino informed him. "She and I were on the same team at volleyball practice today. She said she'd like to make friends with you. And Neji's her cousin, in case you didn't know."

"Uh, really? Well, in that case…Hinata!" Naruto called, catching the other duo's attention even as he hurried up to them.

"Eh?" Hinata looked a bit startled, but immediately blushed on seeing who had called her.

"Hinata, you didn't mention you knew this fellow…" Neji remarked, casting a glance at Naruto.

"Ah, howdy, Neji," Naruto greeted the other boy off-handedly.

Ino had already joined the three. "Neji-san, Hinata-san," she addressed the two Hyugas with a slight bow. "I didn't know you were still here at school—I thought you'd have left already."

"I had a student council meeting to chair," Neji explained, "and Hinata had music practice."

"Y-yes, it's true," Hinata nodded. "I play the piano."

"That sounds pretty cool," Naruto commented.

"And what about you? What keeps you back so late?" Neji asked, as he gave Naruto and Ino a searching glance. "Well, with Naruto, I think I have an idea, at least…the incident from your P.E. class today."

"You saw that?" Naruto frowned. "That was a clear case of self-defense!"

"Even so, to strike another player with the ball, whether by pitching or hitting it, is still a clear violation of the game's etiquette," Neji pointed out. "Although even that would not necessarily warrant a lengthy stay in detention, unless the other person was seriously hurt."

"Well, the coach really only gave me a lecture saying basically what you just said, about game etiquette and all…as impressed as he was with my hitting and pitching," said Naruto. "Actually, I was in detention, but for sleeping in Science class earlier today."

"Sleeping in class?" Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"Hey, the teacher was boring!" Naruto said defensively.

"And what about you, Ino-san?" Hinata queried. "Did you have a club meeting? Or did you get in trouble for something…?" she asked hesitantly.

"Me? No, no, no, no, no," Ino shook her head. "I was waiting for this idiot here," jabbing her thumb at Naruto, "to make him pay for spilling the pudding he stole from me yesterday. But he gave me a fresh one today," and here she held up the half-empty pudding container, "so I'll forgive him this time."

"That pudding from yesterday was mine, bought with MY money!" Naruto grunted.

"But I had reserved it!" Ino growled at him.

Just then, the sound of a car horn honking from outside the gate caught their attention; turning to look, they saw a big white limousine pulling up outside. "Ah, that would be our driver coming for us," said Neji. "Come, Hinata, let's not keep Uncle waiting."

"Hai," Hinata nodded. "Please excuse us, Naruto-kun, Ino-san," she added, bowing slightly to the other two before turning and heading in the direction of the limo, Neji following close behind her. A few moments after, the pair was entering the vehicle, and then it drove away from the school.

"Whew…nice ride," Naruto let out a whistle.

"Yeah—those two are from one of the richest families in Konoha Town," Ino commented. "Hyuga Hiashi, that's Hinata's dad and Neji's uncle, he's the CEO of the Hyuga Corporation, the Uchiha Zaibatsu's main competitor in this region. Both companies were instrumental in the founding of Konoha Town, and both companies provide the bulk of employment for our residents here."

"So, what's the Hyuga Corporation like? Because I remember you told me that the Uchiha Zaibatsu owns most of the big businesses around here," said Naruto.

"Excuse me…"

Looking up at the interruption, Naruto and Ino saw a brown-haired boy with dark glasses over his eyes, approaching them. "May I join your conversation? I couldn't help overhearing; you were discussing the Uchiha Zaibatsu and Hyuga Corp," he said.

"Ah—you're from baseball practice earlier today," said Naruto.

"Indeed, but we haven't been properly introduced. I am Aburame Shino," the other boy said.

"Ah, right—I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and she's Yamanaka Ino," said Naruto.

Shino nodded. "I am already somewhat more acquainted with Ino-san; we share Spanish and History classes together. However, this is the first time we have had any occasion to talk directly to one another."

"True," said Ino.

"Shall we walk? Unless you are waiting for a ride to pick you up," said Shino. "While we travel, I can explain to you about the two companies."

"Walking suits us fine," Ino assured him.

The trio fell into step together as they exited the school gate and headed down the sidewalk. "Now, then, Naruto-san," said Shino. "Ino-san has previously told you about the Uchiha Zaibatsu, yes? They own shares in most of the businesses in Konoha Town, including supermarkets, hardware stores, boutiques, and at least one of the banks. Hyuga Corp, on the other hand, specializes in shipping imports and exports, electronic technology, and local transportation maintenance—in other words, they have control over the local bus and taxi system. At present, both groups are striving to see who can land the biggest military contract in this country first."

"What are you saying—that they want to provide weapons for the military?" asked Naruto.

"Not necessarily weapons; more like vehicles, technology, and other things of that nature," said Shino. "My father is a telecommunications engineer for a mobile-phone company whose parent organization is Hyuga Corp. He's mentioned recently that his company's latest phone tech could be tweaked for military application, if Hyuga Corp has its way."

"Can they do that?" Ino wondered aloud.

"There is no law against it, if that is what you mean," said Shino. "In any event, these are big corporate giants. You might disagree with some of the things they do, but ultimately, as long as they are making their money, the disagreement of the common public is like a drop in the bucket for them."

Naruto frowned as he considered the matter. "Ino…out of curiosity…does your dad's store do business with either group?" he asked.

"Um…not that I know of," said Ino.

"Perhaps not directly," Shino supplied, "but your family runs a greengrocer's store, yes? Any one of your customers could be earning money from employment provided by either the Uchihas or the Hyugas. Putting it very simply, those two sides are the two most powerful groups in Konoha Town and the surrounding region; left to develop naturally, both sides could even get as far as our government legislature. Their power trickles down—from them, to the big businesses, to the medium and small enterprises. Everybody in Konoha Town has ties to one or the other, or even both, no matter how independent you think your business is."

"So they're not the kind of people you want to make enemies of, in other words; both sides, I mean," said Naruto.

"That is a cautious way to look at it," Shino conceded.

"So which side is better?" Naruto asked.

"That would be hard to say," said Shino. "They are equal in terms of influence and financial backing."

"You really know quite a lot about them, Shino-kun—you and your dad must talk about them often," Ino commented.

"It comes up as a dinner table topic from time to time." Shino shrugged.

"Hmm." Naruto decided to change the subject. "By the way, Shino, how come you were at school late today? Are you in a club or something?"

"Actually, I was working on a project for my Science class," said Shino. "I have been collecting and categorizing insects of different species and breeds."

"What? Ew!" Ino made a face. "I hate bugs!"

"Geez, that's really nerdish," said Naruto, making a different type of face.

"Perhaps, but it is what I enjoy," Shino said indifferently, and then the trio continued walking along.

**OoOoO**

Night soon fell over Konoha Town, and most families were either preparing to have dinner or were in the process of eating. Those who ate alone did so either out of choice or because they simply had nobody to share their meals with; those who ate with friends could laugh and joke about any topic under the sun; and those who ate with family were, for the most part, in a sort of small communal space where they could relish the togetherness that dinnertime provided.

This was not to say, of course, that all the households in town were idyllic; indeed, some homes were far from perfect, far from what one would call normal or worth being in, due to what happened behind closed doors. But these certainly did not make up the majority, nor did they set the standard for acceptable behavior in Konoha Town.

If anyone wanted to look to a family with high standards, they needed to look no further than the Hyuga family.

Their home was a two-storey-tall building with ten bedrooms and adjoining bathrooms, built on a good three hundred acres of land on a hill overlooking much of Konoha Town's east side. Hyuga Hiashi, the family patriarch, was known for being a cool-headed, even-tempered man who nonetheless enforced discipline on a strict level and did not allow foolishness of any sort to happen in his domain, whether in the workplace or in the privacy of his home. Although his children attended the local public schools, they had to follow a number of rules he had instituted, ostensibly for their own safety and well-being, and they had to live as impeccably as they were able to do. Some felt that this was perfectly understandable, given that Hiashi was a man of great wealth and influence and any opportunistic criminal might take a chance at targeting his family, although to date this had not yet happened. Others thought that Hiashi was being too strict and should allow his children more freedom, though none of these had ever dared to make such a comment to his face for fear of what his reaction would be.

Presently, inside that two-storey home, the Hyugas were just sitting down to have dinner together—Hiashi, his daughters Hinata and Hanabi, and his nephew Neji. They watched as maids brought in the various food items on trays, set their plates and utensils in the proper places, and poured water into their glasses. Shortly afterward, cuts of fish-steaks were served on their plates, together with grilled potatoes and green peas; in a little while they were eating comfortably, in silence.

Presently, setting his knife and fork down, Hiashi broke the silence. "Hanabi."

"Yes, Father?" Hinata's younger sister replied.

Hiashi cleared his throat. "What did you learn at school today?"

"We made advancement in mathematics today, including multiplication and division of simple fractions," Hanabi said readily. "We also tested our reading capability in English class, and received a test in penmanship. I got a 100 percent grade in that test. We were also taken outside to our playfield for exercise; I was selected to perform in a relay race, and my team claimed first place."

"Very well," Hiashi nodded. "Keep it up, and you will certainly be awarded a place in the first-year class of Konoha High School, come September."

"Yes, Father," Hanabi acknowledged.

Hiashi turned his attention to Hinata. "And you, Hinata? What new thing happened in your school experience today?"

"I had volleyball practice today," Hinata reported. "Anko-sensei says my stamina is good, and also that I am best suited for providing support from the back of the court, and assisting the more aggressive players who are closer to the net."

"I see," said Hiashi. "And your piano lesson today?"

"The instructor gave me the opportunity to choose a song to play for the school recital in two months' time," said Hinata. "I will be playing a classical piece, accompanied by another student who will play the violin."

"Very appropriate," Hiashi nodded his approval. "I expect you to give nothing less than your best when that recital comes around. You could win a music scholarship to one of the top colleges following your graduation from Konoha High School, if one of their representatives is present and approves of your performance."

"Pardon me, Father, but wouldn't it be somewhat early for that? I am still in my second year," said Hinata.

"That is true, but that does not excuse you from doing your best _now,"_ Hiashi said firmly. "College recruiters do not only watch students who are in their final year; many of them also keep an eye on younger students who show great potential, and encourage those students to keep sharpening that potential until their own graduation. Remember that."

"Yes, Father," said Hinata.

Hiashi paused briefly to take another bite of his food, and then sipped from his wine glass before turning to Neji. "Now, my nephew," he said. "What did you experience as student council president today? Were you able to maintain order in the course of your duties?"

Neji, who had been eating during his cousins' narratives, dabbed at his mouth with a napkin before responding. "There were no major incidents of disruption among the students out of the ordinary today; just the usual hustle and bustle of students going about their business," he said. "There were no violations of the school rules that I was able to observe…although…"

"Although?" Hiashi prompted with a raised eyebrow.

Neji took a deep breath. "During one of my free periods, I observed Classes 2-B and 2-C while they were having baseball practice. One of the students hit the ball…below the pitcher's belt, so to speak."

At that Hiashi narrowed his gaze. "Quite unsportsmanlike. Was the offender censured?"

"From what I was able to learn, the coach gave that student a scolding about proper gaming conduct, and the other student was assisted to the nurse's office," said Neji. "However, there is more."

"Oh?" Hiashi replied.

"That same student who was the batter in that incident…" Neji frowned. "He had gotten into detention today because, by his own admission, he fell asleep during one of his classes."

"Fell asleep in class? That is…troubling," said Hiashi. "That kind of student, who does not make the effort to pay attention in class, and who takes opportunities to assault other students, is not going to be a good influence on his peers."

"U-um, if I may, Father…"

Both Hiashi and Neji turned their gazes toward Hinata. "What is it, Hinata?" Hiashi asked.

"Well, I…I do not share a class with him, but I saw what happened during that baseball practice," Hinata said, wording her sentence as neutrally as she could. "The pitcher aimed his throws at Naruto-kun's body, which is itself a violation of the rules, and he was scolded by the coach for it. Naruto-kun was not at fault first."

"Naruto?" Hiashi turned back to Neji. "By any chance, would this be the same boy you mentioned last week, the transfer student from Uzushio High School in Whirl City?"

Neji nodded. "Yes, Uncle. Uzumaki Naruto. Shimura Danzo-sama is still trying to find out why exactly he transferred here; the official record was somewhat vague." He took a sip of water from his glass.

"I see." Hiashi took a deep breath. "Based on what you have said of this Uzumaki Naruto up to now, he is certainly a rebel of sorts. I will have to ask you, Neji-kun, to ensure that his influence does not undo the work you have put into maintaining order as the school's student council president. I especially do not want his ilk contaminating anyone in this family," and here he cast a brief glance at Hinata and Hanabi.

"I understand, Uncle. I will do all in my power to make sure Naruto-kun is kept in line and in accordance with the school's rules," and Neji gave a deep nod toward Hiashi to punctuate the declaration.

"Very well." Hiashi turned a more direct look toward Hinata. "Hinata, this boy, Naruto…I am not at all impressed by what I have learned of him up to now. Therefore, I ask that you avoid his company as much as possible—although that shouldn't be so hard, since you say you and he don't share any classes." Again his gaze narrowed. "I don't want you copying his ways. Am I understood?"

Hinata cast her gaze down toward her plate. "Hai, Tou-san," she answered softly.

**OoOoO**

"And dinner's served!" Kushina announced importantly, setting Naruto's plate down in front of him.

Naruto glanced down at what the plate bore: dumplings. "Hmm, stuffed dumplings? What've you stuffed them with this time, Mom?" he asked.

"Taste them and you'll see," Kushina chuckled, even as she brought her own plate over to the table.

"Oh, well, _itadakimasu,"_ Naruto said, shrugging, and took up one dumpling with his chopsticks and plopped it into his mouth. Chewing for a few seconds, he was swiftly rewarded with the taste of meat and vegetables mixed with the dough from the flour in the dumpling…and something else. "Mmm…mmmm…MMMM!" he exclaimed in his throat, his eyes widening.

"Good, isn't it?" Kushina grinned. "I spent a good portion of time this afternoon making sure it would come out perfectly."

Hurriedly chewing and swallowing, Naruto grabbed his cup of water and gulped down the whole thing in one go. "Holy crap, Mom! What kind of spice did you put in these?" he demanded, smoke coming out of his nose and ears and his eyes red and weeping.

"Ah, that would be the scotch bonnet pepper," Kushina said casually. "Imported peppers, you see. I got a whole three pounds on sale at the market today."

"Did you use the whole three pounds in this stuff?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Nope, just two or three single ones," said Kushina. "It's not that hot, is it?"

"Eat one and see for yourself," Naruto scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not eating another one until you do."

Shrugging, Kushina popped a dumpling into her mouth and chewed it. Immediately sweat broke out over her face, and her skin turned deep red—but she continued chewing while otherwise keeping a straight face, and then swallowed the morsel. Then she casually got up, walked over to the kitchen faucet, and stuck her mouth under the faucet's gushing water. "Whew…that wasn't so bad," she remarked, standing back up as her skin color returned to normal.

"Don't expect me to buy that! You could call the fire brigade for one of these!" Naruto snapped, holding up another dumpling precariously with his chopsticks. "And you baked a whole pan of them? Seriously?"

"I was experimenting with a recipe," Kushina said dismissively. "And no, I am not throwing any of this out, no matter how spicy it is. So we're going to eat all of this off, whether you like it or not."

"This stuff should be classified as a nuclear weapon," Naruto deadpanned.

"Eat. It. All." Kushina's tone brooked no further debate.

Groaning, Naruto plopped another dumpling into his mouth—and more smoke erupted from his facial orifices as several giant drops of sweat broke out over his face. Kushina was in no better position, as her skin resembled a boiled lobster after plopping another dumpling into her mouth. "Okay, Mom, let's suffer together," Naruto grumbled through mouthfuls of his dumpling.

"Oh, shut up," Kushina grunted back.

Several more dumplings later, and clouds of smoke were pouring out of both their ears and noses, with periodical trips to the fridge for ice water or to the faucet for direct cold water. "It's a wonder we're not dead yet," Naruto shook his head, his hair now damp from the sweat coming off him due to the heat of the pepper.

"It is, isn't it?" Kushina had to concede, as sweat was pouring off her face like a river.

"I wonder if this is karma for me knocking that baseball into that guy's balls at P.E. class today," Naruto sighed.

"You did what?" Kushina gave him a look.

"He was throwing the ball to hit me. So I decided to teach him a lesson." Naruto shrugged.

"Heh. Sounds like something I'd do," Kushina chuckled. "What else interesting happened today?"

"Eh, I met a guy who's interested in bugs, and I met the student council president's cousin," Naruto commented. "She seems pretty shy, though."

"And your friendship with Ino-chan is growing, yes?" said Kushina.

"I had to bribe her with pudding so she wouldn't beat me up for accidentally dropping the pudding I bought yesterday," said Naruto. "Honestly, what is it with Ino and pudding?"

"The same thing with you and ramen, sweetheart," Kushina pointed out. "Any time you'll get to have it, you'll have it. Everybody has a favorite food, you know."

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I guess so…but I haven't had any ramen recently. When are you going to make some, Mom?"

"Soon, dear, soon," Kushina assured him. "Now…" She glanced down at their plates, and on each there was only one dumpling left. "What say we swallow these last two dumplings as quick as we can?"

"You first," Naruto dared her.

A moment later, the smoke over their heads got even denser.

**OoOoO**

_BAM! WHACK! CRACK! POW! SOCK! BIFF! THUNK!_

One punk fell to the pavement, his face bruised and bleeding. Seconds later, another joined him on the ground, blood oozing from his mouth as he spat out teeth. Then two more fell down, one with his arm twisted at an irregular angle, and the other clutching his ribs and groaning in pain. Four thugs were still standing, some limping and some clutching their midsections; but as one they roared and surged forward—only for one to be hit with a rising kick to the face, another to get a deep punch to the crotch, the third getting a hand-chop to his neck, and the fourth getting punched square in the nose…all in the space of a few seconds.

As the eight toughs lay on the ground in pain, the cause of their injuries stood tall and looked at them with scorn. "And you told me you guys were strong…you're all pathetic!"

"Ow…ow…" One of the punks looked up at the attacker with a pleading expression. "Okay, okay—we give up! You win! Just please don't hit us again!"

"Pfft," the victor scoffed. "Like I'd bother to dirty myself with you saps anymore. You're not even worth knocking down again. I'm out of here."

Turning and leaving the men on the ground, the fighter walked out of the alley with a dark facial expression. "Sheesh…and here I thought I could get stronger by wiping out the punks of this town…but I don't feel like I'm advancing one bit. What a joke."

Moments later the fighter emerged out on the main road, under a street-lamp—and was revealed to be a teenage girl with her brown hair tied back in two buns, and herself clad in a gray Chinese-style dress with matching boots on her feet and fingerless black gloves on her hands. Her rather attractive face was marred by the same dark expression, however. "Damn it…!" She slammed her fist into her opposing palm. "How the hell am I going to get stronger? I have to get stronger! Can't I find anybody in this town who can stand up to me?"

Muttering under her breath, she walked up the road and disappeared into the night.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 8

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: So now, the Hyuga Corporation and Uchiha Zaibatsu have been more fully explained…we are introduced to Hyuga Corp's CEO, Hiashi Hyuga…and just who is this mystery female fighter who's popped up, and why is she so anxious to get stronger?

I want to make a statement right at this time, about Hiashi. Quite a few fics I've read portray him as a total and utter bastard, which is something of an exaggeration of his actual canon portrayal. Here, though, I intend to make his portrayal a bit more balanced. Will he become a major antagonist, or will he mellow? That remains to be seen.

And yes, I am aware that Kushina is supposed to be a good cook. That scene with the peppery dumplings is just for comedy flavor, pardon the pun.

Chapter 9 is coming up next!


	9. Magnum Opus

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 9: Magnum Opus**

It was Thursday, and once again it was lunchtime, the bell continuing to ring loudly to announce that fact while the students poured out of their different classrooms. Many immediately headed to the cafeteria, anxious to get at the head of the line, while others were unpacking lunches brought from home. Those students who weren't immediately heading to where food was were studying or lounging around with friends.

But there was one student who was doing something slightly different from everyone else on campus.

"Sai-kun, aren't you going to lunch now? You can always finish that task later," the teacher addressed the pale-skinned third-year student sitting alone at his canvas in the art room. "Everyone else has already headed out, you know."

"Arigato, sensei," Sai thanked her without looking up from his canvas. "But I believe that when you start a masterpiece, you must finish it in the same exercise. Beautiful pieces of art cannot be suspended or put on hold. Besides, I already have lunch with me, so it's not a problem."

The teacher nodded respectfully. "Your dedication to art is always impressive, Sai-kun," she said. "Well, I'll leave the door open for you once you are finished." And then she walked away, leaving him to his devices.

"Many thanks," Sai replied, and then his full attention returned to the piece he was working on—a watercolor painting of a grassy hillside covered with flowers of many colors, overlooking a blazing red sunset atop a dark blue sea in the distance.

**OoOoO**

"Yosh!" Ino said triumphantly, emerging from the front of the lunch line with her order. "Cinnamon cheese-roll, check! Pudding cup, check! Box of cherry milk, check! Okay, lunch is ready!" she sang out.

"Ino-san! Excuse me, Ino-san!"

Turning at the sound of Hinata's voice, Ino saw the gray-eyed girl hurrying up to her. "Ah, Hinata-san. Have you gotten your lunch already?"

"Yes, I have," said Hinata, waving a sandwich in one hand and a bottle of juice in the other. "C-could we, maybe, eat together?"

"Sure!" Ino said brightly. "As soon as I find Naruto, then we can all have lunch together!"

"Eh? N-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata's eyes widened a bit.

"Sure, why not? You said you wanted to meet him, right? And yesterday's encounter after school didn't count—it was too brief," Ino said reasonably. "Lunching together provides the perfect opportunity for that, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well…" Hinata cast her gaze down at the ground. "Um…actually…I don't know if I should…"

"Hmm? Aw, don't tell me you're getting cold feet!" Ino pouted, sounding disappointed.

"I…I really want to get to know Naruto-kun better, but…my father has forbidden it," Hinata said in a small voice.

Ino lifted an eyebrow. "Your dad? Why?"

"After hearing our school reports at dinner last night, Father decided that Naruto-kun would not be a good influence on us," Hinata explained. "Neji-kun told him that Naruto-kun slept in class and injured that boy at P.E. yesterday. Father did not take a good view of that."

"Oh, please!" Ino snapped, startling the other girl. "Has he actually _met_ Naruto for himself? Does he know anything at all about Naruto from first-hand experience? No, he doesn't. And anyway, what's he going to do if you associate with Naruto, a fellow schoolmate, on school grounds—disown you?"

"W-well…" Hinata began.

"No excuses, Hinata! You want to meet Naruto, so let's have you meet Naruto! I don't care what your old man wants to say about it!" Ino said determinedly. "Follow me, and don't back out, understood?"

"Uh…h-hai," said Hinata, not sure what else to say or do.

Snorting in defiance of Hinata's anxiety, Ino turned and marched out of the cafeteria and up the corridor, the dark-haired girl following after her. "Overprotective dads…who needs 'em, anyhow?" Ino grunted under her breath.

"Father only wants what's best for me, Ino-san," Hinata tried to rebut.

"Yeah, right! By being a control freak?" Ino flung over her shoulder.

They were passing the art room at this point—and Hinata, glancing in through the open door, paused where she was, with the result that Ino continued walking a full twenty paces ahead before realizing her schoolmate wasn't with her. "Oi, oi, what's the stopping for?" Ino called back to her. "Come on!"

But Hinata seemed transfixed by whatever she was looking at. Scowling, Ino walked back up to the art room door. "What IS it?" she demanded, looking in as well—and immediately being astonished at what lay before her. "Oh…"

Inside were several other students, surrounding a pale-skinned boy at an art canvas. "Wow, Sai-kun, you're really talented!" one girl was saying.

"Hey, Sai-kun, do you do personal portraits too?" a boy inquired.

Hinata's eyes were drawn to the artist's canvas, which was awash with beautiful colors arranged in perfect order. "Such beauty," she whispered.

"Y-yeah," Ino managed to answer. "And that painting's really nice, too," she added in a whisper, a small blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Eh?" Hinata's eyes widened as she stared at her friend. "Ino-san?"

"Okay, the search for Naruto can wait. Let's check this guy's stuff out!" Ino announced, dragging the astonished Hinata inside after her.

Still working on his portrait, Sai paused briefly and looked up as the two girls approached him and his small crowd of admirers. "Ah, two more persons coming to see my work," he acknowledged them.

Ino looked at the nearly-completed watercolor. "It's beautiful," she said simply, and this resulted in nods of affirmation from the other onlookers.

"Did you really do this all on your own?" Hinata asked, looking over Sai's shoulder at the painting.

"I did," Sai nodded. "I started working on it during my art class a short while earlier, and now I'm finishing it. An artist never leaves his work undone."

"Wow, Sai-san, I wish I could paint as well as you do," a male student supplied, and others voiced their agreement.

"Um…do you mind if we have our lunch here while you finish up?" Ino asked.

"Suit yourselves. Just please don't put your food too close to the canvas, is all I ask," Sai advised them.

"Hai," said Hinata, and she and Ino pulled up chairs and sat down, unwrapping their lunches while Sai resumed his painting.

**OoOoO**

"Damn it, where the heck is Ino? She said she'd meet me out here to have lunch together today!" Naruto grumbled as he sat under a tree and began to un-wrap his foot-long sandwich. "I hope she hasn't decided to empty the school's pudding stockpile…"

Taking a bite out of the sandwich, he glanced around for any sign of Ino. "Sheesh, that pudding-obsessed girl," he grumbled through a full mouth.

"Oi, did that troublesome girl become your girlfriend or something?"

Pausing in mid-chew, Naruto looked up to see who was speaking, and beheld a guy with a seemingly lazy expression approaching him. "Hey, aren't you in one of my classes?"

"Right you are," the other boy answered. "Nara Shikamaru's the name. And you're that transfer student, Uzumaki Naruto. I hear you beaned a guy in the nuts at baseball practice yesterday."

"Hey, he threw the ball at me to hit ME first, all I did was hit it back to him," Naruto countered. "Anyway, do you know Ino or something?"

"Her dad and mine are old friends from high school days," Shikamaru sighed. "And we live just a few minutes' drive away from each other, so every so often those two will pack up the car and go on fishing trips with Choji's dad. Tradition, Dad says."

"Oh? So you and that tub of lard are friends too?" Naruto made a face.

The next thing he knew, a huge fist conked him on the head and left a rather large bruise. "Watch it with the 'fat' nicknames, Blondie," Choji warned.

"When did _you_ get here?" Naruto demanded, rubbing his head where Choji had hit him.

"I was just passing by, looking for a place to have my lunch," Choji said in a more good-natured tone, and he held up two wrapped burgers. "Mind if I join you guys?"

"Ah, suit yourself, I guess," said Naruto, and Choji immediately took up the invitation and sat next to him under the tree. "So I guess you know Ino too, right?"

"Yep!" Choji grinned while unwrapping one of his burgers. "All three of us were in the same class in our first year, last year. Then we found out our dads were all high school buddies, too. Pretty neat twist of fate, huh?"

"I'd call it bad karma," Shikamaru snorted. "Honestly, that girl Ino can be really destructive and violent when she's ready to be. Sometimes I wonder if she's bipolar or something."

"You, too?" Naruto stared at Shikamaru with wide eyes. "Would you believe she was ready to kill me over spilling a little pudding? And it wasn't even hers—and she was ready to kill me because I bought it and wouldn't give it to her!"

"Yep, sounds like Ino, all right," and Shikamaru shook his head.

"You really ought not to speak ill of others behind their backs. It does not testify well of you."

"Wha?" The trio looked up into the tree, from whence the voice had come, and saw a familiar brown-haired boy with dark glasses sitting in one of the higher branches, just partially concealed by the leaves. "How long have you been up there, Shino?" Naruto exclaimed.

"I've been here since before you came with your sandwich," Shino said casually. "I've been watching the caterpillars and spiders in this tree for some time. Remember I told you yesterday that bugs and insects are my hobby, Naruto-san."

"Yeah…" Naruto responded, while silently adding that he thought it was creepy.

Shikamaru looked down at the ground. "Well, this looks like a pretty comfy spot you've picked out. I guess I can lie down here and do what I do best…" and he knelt down and then lay flat on his back, looking up at the sky.

"Cloud-watching again, huh?" Choji asked, amused, through a mouthful of burger.

"Well, it's not a troublesome activity," said Shikamaru. "And from this angle, I won't have the sun in my eyes. It's a big bonus." He smirked.

"Hmph." Naruto took another bite of his sandwich. "Oi, do you guys all know each other?" he asked.

"Only by sight," said Shino. "I suppose, since we're all together in this fashion, introductions are in order. I am Aburame Shino, in Class 2-B."

"Akimichi Choji, Class 2-A," Choji spoke up before biting into his burger again.

"Nara Shikamaru, Class 2-D," Shikamaru droned while his eyes followed the cloud patterns far above.

"Uzumaki Naruto, same as Shino," Naruto rounded it off.

"And I'm Hatake Kakashi, Math department instructor," a fifth voice spoke up from the other side of the tree.

Shikamaru bolted upright in surprise, while Naruto and Choji almost choked on their respective sandwiches. "Huh?" they shouted as one.

"Hatake-sensei has been there since before I climbed this tree," Shino said as casually as ever, as though he couldn't see any reason for the surprise.

Kakashi now appeared from behind the tree, a small red book in one hand, and himself wearing his now-familiar dust mask and with his hair covering one eye as usual. "Did I frighten you, boys?" he asked, almost apologetically. "Please, don't mind me; go ahead and eat your lunch."

"What the hell are you, a ninja or something?" Naruto exploded, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi.

"Hmm, perhaps in another universe I might be," Kakashi said enigmatically, turning a page in his book and resuming the reading he'd been doing.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei, what's that book you've got there?" Choji asked curiously.

"Oh, this?" Kakashi motioned to the book. "Just a little bit of advanced literature I brought from home. Not a porno, nope, not at all…" His voice trailed off as he noticed the boys giving him weird looks. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Very out loud," Shikamaru said flatly.

"Ah, well, once you boys are my age you'll understand," Kakashi sighed, and he went back to reading his book.

"Ugh…suddenly I think I've lost my appetite…" Naruto gave his foot-long a disgusted look.

"If you're not gonna have that…" Choji, already into his second burger, gave the foot-long an interested look.

"I haven't lost my appetite THAT much!" Naruto snapped with fangs in his mouth, cradling his sandwich to his person protectively.

"Sheesh, what a troublesome situation I'm in…" Shikamaru grumbled, turning his gaze back to watching the clouds.

**OoOoO**

"…and now I'm done!" Sai said brightly, setting down his paintbrush.

The other students at once ooh-ed and ah-ed over the freshly-completed watercolor, at the way all the colors blended together to create such a perfect picture. For their part, Ino and Hinata were impressed. "So lovely…" Hinata breathed.

"Yeah…" Ino turned to Sai. "Do you give painting lessons? Could I come and learn from you?"

"Oi, girly, what are you trying to say?" one girl asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, don't go snagging Sai-kun all for yourself!" another exclaimed.

"It's not like that at all!" Ino said hotly.

"Ladies, ladies, relax," Sai said smoothly. "I'm quite willing to give lessons to anyone who's willing. Whoever wants to learn can meet me here in the art room every day during lunchtime."

"Ah, really?" Stars shone in Ino's eyes.

"Hey, now, hey, now, what's with the ruckus in here?"

The rough-sounding voice caused everyone to look toward the door, and they beheld a huge older student who seemed to be built like a mountain, accompanied by three smaller-bodied but no less intimidating students. "Hey, boss, looks like our hangout spot's been compromised," one of the latter three commented.

"Is that so? Well, I'll soon take care of that," the big guy snorted, stepping into the art room even as the students around Sai suddenly looked nervous at the newcomer's menacing presence. "Oi, nerd-boy, how's about you and your fan-club vacate this place?" the youth demanded of Sai.

Calmly, Sai stood up and faced the bully. "This art room is free and available to anyone who wishes to use it," he said. "We're not under a dictatorship, so you don't have the authority to force anyone to leave here."

"And what if I say I don't agree with that statement?" the bully snarled.

"Then I'm afraid there's nothing else I can say," Sai shrugged.

"Hmph." Suddenly, without warning, the other boy turned to Sai's canvas and kicked it off its easel, causing it to fly to the ground amid gasps of surprise from the other students. "Get outta here now, runt, you and your little posse, or your head's gonna end up like your sissy painting."

"Hey, man! That's going too far!" one boy shouted—but the sudden approach of the bully's three leering lackeys caused him and the other students to cower in fear again.

Eyes overshadowed, Sai looked at the downed painting with its finished product still face-up, and then turned toward the bully. "Please pick that up."

"Pick what up?" the bully scoffed, taking one step forward and slamming his foot down on the painting, breaking the canvas even as he ground his heel into the now-ruined artwork.

"No…!" Hinata cried.

"Stop it, you guys!" Ino screamed.

"Who's gonna make us—you?" one of the lackeys jeered at her, and his two friends and their leader laughed uproariously in agreement.

Sai's eyes remained overshadowed. His jaw tightened.

**OoOoO**

"Whew—that was a good sandwich!" Naruto sighed, patting his belly and flopping down on the grass next to Shikamaru.

"Those burgers were the best!" Choji exclaimed, also flopping down onto his back. "But now what? We still have another twenty minutes before lunchtime's over…maybe we could go back to the cafeteria for more food."

"Oi, Choji, be considerate and leave the rest of the food for others, eh?" Shikamaru drawled.

"Actually, I'm with Choji; I think I could do with a soda right about now, myself," said Naruto, and now he yawned and stretched as he got up. "Hey, Choji, you think they'll still have the grape soda left by now?"

"I doubt that," Choji chuckled as he also got up. "The grape flavor always sells out the fastest."

Shino carefully dropped down from his perch in the tree. "I shall accompany you as well," he informed the two. "I could do with some refreshments, myself."

"What? You mean you haven't had lunch yet?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"I tend to eat a heavy breakfast at home," Shino said simply.

"Nothing wrong with that!" Choji laughed.

"**You** wouldn't find anything wrong with that," Naruto muttered as the three started walking.

"Oi, you guys mind bringing back one of those little stuffed breads for me?" Shikamaru asked, still lying on the ground.

"Get up off your lazy ass and go get it yourself!" Naruto yelled at him.

He, Shino and Choji were approaching a wall, around which the corridor would begin—but suddenly the latter two paused as they heard a scream from around the corner. "Sensei! Sensei!" a girl was crying.

Naruto, still walking, stopped just ahead of Shino and Choji. "Huh?" was all he could let out seconds before the girl in question barreled full-tilt into him, causing both of them to crash to the ground, him on his back and the girl on top of him…

…and both their eyes were wide in shock as their lips were tightly pressed against each other.

"Whoa…" Choji blinked.

Shikamaru actually sat up and stared. Kakashi, who was still reading his suspicious book, looked up with an upraised eyebrow. Even Shino had both eyebrows lifted up behind his sunglasses.

It took Naruto all of a few seconds to realize what had just happened, and to recognize who was on top of him. _Hinata?_

_N…N…Naruto…kun?_ Hinata's mind, jumbled as it was at that moment, could only get that as the one coherent thought she could manage even as the mother of all blushes burned her face.

"You know…we could leave you two alone…" Kakashi offered, his tone sounding conspiratorial.

Hinata reacted swiftly, pushing herself off Naruto and jumping up, shaking her head wildly. "N-n-n-no, that's not it!" she exclaimed. "Kakashi-sensei, please hurry, they're fighting in the art room!"

"Nani?" Kakashi was immediately all business. "Who?"

**OoOoO**

The other students stared in utter shock at what they'd just witnessed. All the boys' jaws had dropped in disbelief; several of the girls covered their mouths in astonishment. Ino blinked as though unwilling to believe what she'd just witnessed. "Kami…" she breathed out.

The three lackeys were on the ground, bloodied and bruised and groaning in pain as one sported an ugly black eye, another had crimson fluid leaking from his mouth and nose, and the third had a heavily-swollen jaw and forehead. Their leader had several broken or missing teeth, a nose that was completely smashed and leaking blood, and one of his eyes was swollen almost totally shut…and he was being held by the throat by Sai, who had him pinned to a wall. Sai himself had blood on his hands that didn't belong to him, and his eyes were narrowed into slits as he glared at the bully he was holding. He was holding the other student with his left hand; drops of blood were falling from the knuckles of his right hand as his fist was tightly clenched.

"H…h…have…have mercy…" the bully managed to croak out from his constricted throat.

Sai didn't ease his grip. "You showed no mercy to my painting. I spent a good hour and twenty minutes working on that painting, and you had the gall to ruin it." He spoke through gritted teeth as he continued. "Tell me why I should show you mercy after that."

"SAI!"

The other students turned at the sound of the authoritative voice. "Kakashi-sensei!" several of them cried out in relief.

Kakashi strode into the art room and up to where Sai and the other boy were. "Sai-kun…let him go," he said softly, but firmly.

Sai hesitated…then slowly relaxed his grip, allowing the punk to collapse to the floor. Nodding, Kakashi turned to the other students. "Some of you get these boys to the nurse's office right away," he ordered. "Sai-kun, you come with me. Danzo-sama will need to hear about this."

"Hey, that's not fair! They started it!" Ino protested, pointing to the bullies.

"Then after you get them to the nurse, you may feel comfortable coming to the principal's office to give a witness statement," Kakashi said flatly, turning his one-eyed gaze on her.

Ino swallowed the lump in her throat. "H-hai." And then she, and a few other reluctant ones, bent down to aid the injured boys, while Kakashi led the unresisting Sai out of the art room.

**OoOoO**

Fifteen minutes later, Sai emerged from the staff room, eyes downcast. "How shameful," he whispered.

"It wasn't your fault, Sai-kun."

"Eh?" Sai looked up to see Ino standing near the door. "You…"

"Those guys are being tended to by the nurse right now. I left them and the other students there and came straight here." Ino regarded him. "Has Danzo-sama punished you badly?"

"I'd think I got off lucky," Sai replied. "It's the first time I've ever been brought to the office for fighting, so Shimura-sama gave me a lecture and then said I'll have to return to see him after school today, to write an essay on the importance of obeying the school's rules, as penance."

"Pfft. Sometimes I think the school's rules are a load of crap," Ino grumbled.

"But Shimura-sama is right," said Sai. "We have to obey the rules for the sake of order, no matter who antagonizes us. If we don't…then anyone can do whatever they please, and chaos results." He looked to one side. "And I'm sorry you all had to see such violence on my part…it was only a painting, all said and done."

"Mmm-mmm," Ino shook her head in disagreement. "Sai-kun, it wasn't just a painting…it was your talent being put on the canvas…you could really become a professional painter one day, I think. They had no right to destroy it…and who knows what they might have done to _us,_ if it weren't for you."

"…I suppose that is true." Sai cocked his head to one side. "I'm sorry, I did not get your name…"

"Ah—right. My bad." Ino laughed a little. "Yamanaka Ino, second year." She gave him a look. "And…is that offer for painting tutoring still open?"

"If you're not afraid after what you've seen today," Sai said hesitantly.

Ino shook her head again. "I've seen worse than that, believe me," and her mind flashed back to Naruto's fights with Mizuki and Aoi. "So…tomorrow during lunch, then?"

"All right. Tomorrow after lunch, at the art room." Sai bowed to her. "Excuse me." And then he turned and was gone up the hallway, leaving Ino behind with a slight smile on her face.

**OoOoO**

"So that's what happened…" Shino said thoughtfully.

"Yes, I just got the story from some of the guys who were in the art room," Shikamaru reported. "Those four idiots that got pummeled are going to be sent home early, it seems. Lucky them."

"Hmm…" Choji glanced around. "Uh, guys, shouldn't we have helped Naruto? He didn't get up to follow us…"

"Leave him. I'm not going back for him. It'll be too much of a drag," Shikamaru said with a note of finality in his voice.

"I think he'll be fine," Shino said stoically.

**OoOoO**

Naruto was still in the same place he'd been laying after Hinata collided with him, on his back, eyes looking up at the sky. His whole body, for him, seemed paralyzed, or held down by some unseen force. His mind was definitely in a daze, so much so that it barely even registered when the school bell rang for the resumption of classes.

A random cloud in the sky floated in his line of vision. For some reason…it seemed to be shaped like a pair of lips.

_Warm…soft…smelled sweet…_ Almost without realizing it, he lifted one hand to his mouth and touched his lips with his fingertips. _Is that…what kissing…feels like?_

**OoOoO**

As the shock of seeing Sai's savagery gradually wore off—and in the back of her mind, she had to admit those four boys had it coming—Hinata had to deal with another shock that wouldn't wear off quite so readily for the rest of the day, so much so that everything she did seemed to be by autopilot.

_I…I fell on top of Naruto-kun…and…and we…we…_

It was all she could do to keep from collapsing in a dead faint…although her lips continued to tingle wildly and the redness in her cheeks proved a source of curiosity for everyone who saw it.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 9

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: Yes, I know the first kiss is something of a big deal in Japan. And why shouldn't it be? And yes, I know the Naruto-Hinata shippers are many out there, and I happily acknowledge that I am one of them, even as I also express frustration at Kishimoto for having certain recent events in the manga be left hanging in the air—although even that is somewhat understandable, given the circumstances that the characters are currently in (as in, being in the middle of, y'know, a WAR).

Sai's reaction to his artwork being vandalized was based directly on a scene from _One Piece,_ in which, during Sanji's introduction, he reacts very badly to a jerk Marine's spilling of soup as a deliberate insult. Sanji doesn't like food being wasted or cooking being made fun of, due to events in his past; in the same way, I picture Sai, as an artist, not liking when his artwork—which, as any artist may tell you, takes a LONG time to perfect and do flawlessly _per piece_—is trampled upon or ruined. I do not imply that this means Sai's attitude comes from a traumatic past, although, with the direction this story's going so far, who knows…

Anyway, Chapter 10 is coming up next! Stay tuned!


	10. Challenge

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 10: Challenge**

A few days passed, and soon it was Monday morning again.

_All right…today I'll tell her…I'll confess to her, without fail!_

This was the thought on Inuzuka Kiba's mind as he entered his homeroom class for the morning session. He'd been holding back on his resolve since the beginning of the school year, uncertain how to proceed, but with every week that passed he became more certain, more confident, that he would have to act soon lest his chance disappear altogether. After all, who knew when, if ever, he might get another chance to confess to the girl he had a crush on?

As he sat at his desk, he heard some commotion at the door and looked up expectantly. He had brief surge of disappointment when he saw three girls enter, none of whom was the girl on his mind—and then his mouth went dry as **she** came in behind the trio seconds later, her book-bag in hand, and went to her seat on the far side of the room. Far from him. How he wished he could be just a little closer.

_Hinata-chan…_

They'd been in the same class last year, too, and back then he'd been as captivated by her personality as he was now. However, the knowledge that she was the younger cousin of Hyuga Neji, one of the most popular and well-known boys at Konoha High, had intimidated Kiba to the point of causing him to hold off on making an early confession to her. Back then, Neji had been known for being quite aloof, despite the many fan-girls who swooned over him, and he was the paragon of perfection in the student body's eyes; would it not have been reasonable to expect that Hyuga Hinata, one of the daughters of one of the most well-known businessmen in town, might likewise have incredibly high standards that must be met before any boy might be deemed worthy of her attention, let alone her affection?

Still, despite his hesitation at the early impression, Kiba had felt that surely he must have a good chance. After all, wasn't his mother Inuzuka Tsume, Konoha Town's chief of police? And wasn't his older sister, Hana, in a highly-respected position as a doctor at the Konoha Hospital, even if she was technically just a junior resident at this time? People in high-class positions, such as Hinata's family was, surely respected doctors and high-ranking police officers; that he was so intimately connected to a cop and a doctor should surely give him a winning chance, however aloof Hinata might turn out to be, right?

Except, as Kiba would later discover, Hinata wasn't the aloof type at all. Sure, she was shy and somewhat reserved, but she wasn't standoffish like Neji, nor did she display the stern, serious appearance of her father Hiashi. And even with her shyness, she was quite eager to please and to make friends, though she went about it in a hesitant way that Kiba found quite cute. He himself hadn't interacted with her much even after making that discovery about her personality; they talked every so often as classmates, yes, but that was clearly not the same as it would be if he was talking to her as he would to a girlfriend. Every day that they didn't talk, Kiba would wallow in self-pity; every day that they did talk and he failed to express his growing feelings, he'd curse himself and wish he could post a kick-me sign on his own back.

So he had counted it as a divine blessing when, in September just gone, he and Hinata wound up assigned to the same class again. It'd been four months since that time, to be sure, but now, today, Kiba was determined that he would not let this second year slip past him without fulfilling his objective. Today, he would talk to Hinata, even if he had to say the whole thing in one rapid sentence—but he WOULD get it done.

The class-time began, and Kiba had to employ every ounce of strength not to scream in frustration as the time seemed to slowly tick by in mockery of his wishes. He barely paid attention to what the teacher was saying; every few moments he'd steal a glance in Hinata's direction, though she didn't look his way in return. That was all right by him; until class was over, for the time being just these few glances would suffice.

After what seemed like centuries, the bell rang for the end of the first period, and everyone gathered their books and bags to go to their next classes, Hinata included. Kiba had to restrain himself from jumping up and running after her right there and then; he gave her a little space, waiting until she was out the door, and then and only then did he hurry after her. "Hinata-chan! Sorry, Hinata-chan!" he called to her.

"Eh?" Hinata turned her head to look over her shoulder out of her gray eyes. "Ah, Kiba-kun."

"Sorry to bother you, but could I please talk with you a minute?" Kiba asked, catching up to her. "I promise I won't hold you up for long."

"Um, okay," said Hinata, looking at Kiba expectantly. "What is it, Kiba-kun?"

_YES!_ Kiba mentally pumped his fist in victory, though he managed to keep his facial expression calm and collected. "Hinata-chan, there's no other way for me to say this, so I'll just say it," he said. "Would you…would you please be my girlfriend?"

Hinata's eyes widened as a blush crept over her cheeks. "Wh-what? Kiba-kun…?"

Kiba scratched the back of his head in sudden embarrassment, and managed a little chuckle. "The thing is…I've really liked you since we started together in the same class last year," he said in a low voice. "I was kinda scared back then to admit it, but…well, I'm saying it now. So…will you?" he added with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Um…" Hinata blinked, and suddenly Kiba felt fear, so much so that he thought he should try and reassure her.

"I know it's a bit sudden, but I'm willing to let you think about it," said Kiba. "I just wanted to ask you, and let you know, that's all."

Hinata glanced away. "Well…Kiba-kun…I'm flattered that you could ask such a thing of me…"

Kiba's face lit up with renewed hope.

"…but the truth is, there's someone else that I like," Hinata added, and suddenly Kiba's world went entirely gray.

"S…someone…else?" Kiba asked in a very soft voice.

"I hope I haven't hurt your feelings, Kiba-kun," said Hinata, giving him a little smile. "I just hope you understand."

"Uh…yeah, sure, it's no biggie," Kiba tried to smile back.

"Ah, Hinata, is that you? Come on, hurry up or we'll be late for class!" a blond-haired girl called from further up the corridor.

"Y-yes! Coming, Ino-san!" Hinata called back. To Kiba she said, "Please excuse me, I have to go. Sorry again!" and she bowed quickly and hurried off.

"Right…" Kiba gave a little wave as Hinata departed—and then his shoulders slumped in defeat and he turned and walked in the opposite direction. "So, after all, my efforts were in vain…"

Dejectedly, he walked near a classroom door to go past it—but hearing some voices inside and close to the entrance caused him to halt. "So, have you talked to Hinata about it yet?" he heard a boy questioning someone else.

**OoOoO**

"Huh? Ask her about what?" Naruto looked up at Shikamaru.

"Hello, duh! About your little 'make-out session' yesterday!" Choji teased him.

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi! That was purely not intentional! It just happened!" Naruto said defensively.

"Oh, sure," Shikamaru said in a bored tone. "So she fell over and you just happened to break her fall with your body and your lips, right?"

"And what am I supposed to say? 'I'm sorry my lips touched yours, it's not as if I was going to ambush you'?" Naruto scowled. "And anyway, what the hell are YOU doing here? We don't even share a class together now!" he added, pointing at Shikamaru.

"Well, this _is_ my home room; I'm just leisurely taking my time to go to class," Shikamaru shrugged. "It's not as if I'll be late anyway—Kakashi-sensei always shows up late for class."

**OoOoO**

Right outside the classroom, having peeked in to see who was talking about Hinata, Kiba had turned to stone with a look of utter shock on his face. But while his body might be paralyzed, his brain was still very much active.

_H…Hinata-chan…already had her first kiss…with that blond guy? And she was on top of him in a naughty position? NO WAY! NO FREAKING WAY! I never thought Hinata-chan could be so daring while looking so innocent…and to think that THIS guy has taken away her innocence already…!_

Suddenly conscious of the strange looks he was getting from passing students, Kiba hurried away. But his fevered brain would not cool down. It was all he could do to make to his next class.

**OoOoO**

"So, Hinata-san, I've been hearing good things about you," Ino said impishly as they settled into their classroom.

"Eh? What do you mean, Ino-san?" Hinata blinked in surprise.

Ino glanced about, as if checking for eavesdroppers, then leaned in to Hinata's personal space. "Your little kiss with Naruto," she whispered.

Instantly Hinata's face flushed bright red. "I-I-Ino-san! That was an accident!" she cried out.

"From what Shikamaru and Choji told me, you and Naruto were in that position for almost a minute before Kakashi-sensei snapped you out of it," Ino teased. "Is Naruto that good a kisser?"

"Ack!" Hinata croaked. "Ino-san, please! I bumped into Naruto-kun, we fell down, and it just happened! It's not like it was a real kiss or anything!"

"Aww…then you don't count it as your first kiss?" Ino asked, sounding disappointed.

"Um…" To tell the truth, Hinata had asked herself that very same question the night before, but up to now had not been able to come to a satisfying conclusion. It wasn't as if she'd purposely placed her face that close to Naruto's, after all. And yet, she couldn't forget the feel of her mouth on his, even if it wasn't as deep as she imagined a real kiss might be. And she definitely couldn't deny the feeling of heat that had come over her at that immediate moment, as well as every moment thereafter that she allowed herself to dwell on it, knowing that it had happened with her crush. "I…I don't know…I mean, would he even consider it as _his_ first time?"

"The only way you'll know is to ask," said Ino. "And don't bother using your dad as an excuse not to do it, understand? Now that you and Naruto have, ahem, shared such personal space," and here she shook her head as Hinata blushed again, "neither of you is bound to forget it. You may as well come forward and tell Naruto what's what."

"But…" Hinata frowned. "Suppose he was saving his first time for someone else? What if…what if he hates me for taking it from him?"

"If he raises one word against you for it, I'll kill him myself," Ino said matter-of-factly.

"Ino-san!" Hinata looked horrified.

Ino gave the other girl a cheeky grin. "You like Naruto, don't you? Be honest with me, now; it's just two girls talking about the facts of life. Do you like him, yes or no?"

Not certain she could trust her own tongue, Hinata just nodded.

"Then there's nothing to it, Hinata-san!" Ino patted Hinata on the shoulder. "I already told Naruto I'd help him get a girlfriend, and you've just admitted you like him, so I'm gonna get you two together! The next thing I want to be is godmother to your children, understand?"

Hinata's blush flared up even more brightly—but then subsided as a serious thought came to her. "Um, Ino-san…come to think of it…it seems you could have just as easily taken Naruto-kun for yourself, but you haven't. Why?"

"Eh?" Ino blinked in surprise. "Well…that is…" She smiled a little. "Naruto's a nice catch, sure…but he's not really the kind of guy I'd go for romantically. He's more of the type of person I'd treat like a brother…a confidante…someone I'd trust with my life. And he _has_ rescued me a few times already since I've gotten to know him, so I owe him a pretty big debt in that respect."

Hinata looked thoughtful. "So, Naruto-kun has saved you…" She looked away. "I wonder…would he save me, too, if I needed to be rescued?"

"Knowing him, I'd bet everything that he would." Ino smirked even as Hinata continued to look thoughtful.

**OoOoO**

At lunchtime, Hyuga Neji walked across the compound, glancing about at the various levels of activity from the other students. No rule-breaking so far, he was pleased to note. Then he rounded a corner and was treated to an unusual sight: a brown-haired boy with weird red markings on his cheeks, sitting in a despondent position on the grass with numerous root beer bottles all around him. For a moment Neji compared the fellow to a loser who was drowning his sorrows, only the drink in question was non-alcoholic. "Hey, you. Littering is against the rules. There's a bin no less than twenty feet away from you," he addressed the pseudo-drinker, pointing in the direction of said bin.

"Oh, leave me alone," the other boy groaned, not looking up, but taking a short swig from the one bottle he still had in his hand.

Neji studied the fellow carefully. Inuzuka Kiba, he recalled now—the son of Konoha Town's police chief. Someone related to a person of good repute, and yet here he was making a sorry spectacle of himself. "One, two, three…seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…_twenty-two_ root beers? You must have plenty of money to throw away if you could empty out the cafeteria's stock like this," he said snidely. "Or maybe you want to develop diabetes?"

Kiba raised his head and looked at the other boy. "Oh…it's you, Neji," he said in a dead tone.

"Who did you expect it to be—some imaginary friend?" Neji scoffed.

"Heh…funny you should come by here just now," Kiba chuckled, taking another mouthful of root beer. "This morning I got rejected by one Hyuga, and now another one comes to rub my pathetic state in my face. Poor me."

Now Neji frowned. "Rejected by one Hyuga…Hinata? What are you talking about?"

"Ah, well, it won't hurt if I tell you—I'm already deep in a funk, aren't I?" said Kiba. "I've had a crush on your cousin since last year, and this morning I got the courage to confess…but…bang, bang, she shot me down, bang, bang, I hit the ground, bang, bang…"

Neji crossed his arms over his chest, unimpressed. "So Hinata rejected your love confession. So what? You're certainly not the first boy who's been rejected by a girl he liked, and you definitely won't be the last. Man up, Inuzuka."

"Hey, if it had been just that, I could've dealt with it…but it's what happened afterward…" Kiba paused and took yet another swig from the bottle of root beer. "Your sweet, innocent cousin has already had her first kiss—and maybe more."

Neji's eyes widened. Then he scowled. "Come again?"

"You heard me. Your cousin seems to have lost the innocence that drew me to her in the first place." Kiba laughed bitterly. "And the guy she's chosen over me…he's the one she chose to give her first kiss to. Tough luck, huh?"

Neji stepped forward until he was one foot away from Kiba. "Who is this person?" he asked, his tone low and dangerous.

Kiba shrugged. "Beats me. Some guy with blond hair and whisker-marks on his face."

Neji's eyes narrowed as he heard the description. _Uzumaki Naruto…so he has defiled Hinata…then Uncle was right._

The gears turned swiftly in Neji's mind. Then, out of nowhere, he smirked. "Say, Kiba…do you still want Hinata for yourself?"

"Huh?" Kiba looked up at that. "What's the point? After she's already chosen some other guy…"

"But what if you could get the other guy out of the way—would you go for Hinata then?" Neji pressed.

"Hmm…" Kiba thought about it. "I guess…" Suddenly a suspicious look came over his face. "Wait a minute—why are you being so helpful all of a sudden? What's in this for you?"

"I'm the student council president. That means I'm responsible for making sure there's order here at Konoha High School, right?" said Neji. "Now, this fellow you're talking about…Danzo-sama has his record from his previous school, and that record says he was transferred because of their issues in dealing with his behavior. If such a rebellious attitude gets out of hand here, what do you think will happen? Good guys like you and me, who want to do the right thing and be rewarded for being honest and fair, will get steamrolled. This guy—we don't know anything about him, and already he's made a nuisance of himself. By contrast, you're the son of the police chief, a fact which puts you in a place of pretty high prestige, yet you've been shot down by the girl you like. And the guy with a questionable past school record has already snatched away the heart of the girl you like. Is that right? Is that fair?"

Kiba scowled at this. "Even so, what am I supposed to do about it now? I can't force Hinata-chan to like me, and neither can you even though you two are cousins."

"Maybe so…but you can at least get Hinata to see that fellow for what he really is," Neji pressed. "And what he is is a cancer that's infested Konoha High School's structure and that, if left alone, will cause everyone to be as decayed as he is. He's already started it with Hinata, hasn't he? Taking away her first kiss—which I'm sure you would've liked to have for yourself—and getting her in such a compromising position. If he can twist a gentle and innocent girl like her, who's to say he won't sway public opinion his way and against everyone else—against YOU?"

He kept a keen eye on Kiba's face, and already he could see that Kiba seemed to be convinced. There just needed to be a little more button-pushing.

"Listen, Kiba," Neji went on, coming to sit beside the other boy and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Konoha High has enjoyed a good reputation as a center of excellence for years. The last thing this school needs is a guy like him muddying the waters. Think about it…if he's gone, he won't be around to corrupt Hinata any more than he's already done. Then the way will be clear for you to have her all for yourself—and since you've got one relative in the medical field and another in law enforcement, I'll happily endorse you as her significant other. And you know my uncle, Hinata's father, already—he'll only accept the _crème de la crème_ into his family, and you more than qualify, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah…you're definitely right about that…old man Hyuga wouldn't want his daughter marrying a scumbag who we don't know anything about." Kiba nodded. "Okay, Neji, you've got me sold. Just tell me what I need to do."

Neji managed to suppress his victorious smirk—he had Kiba eating right out of his hand. "These sorts of things require tact and careful planning, my young man," he said smoothly. "Just leave that to me."

**OoOoO**

There was a knock at Shimura Danzo's office door. "Enter!" he called.

Neji came in a moment later. "My apologies for the disturbance, Shimura-sama, but I've just received some disturbing news, and I did not believe I should wait," he said anxiously.

"Well, what is it, if it's so urgent?" Danzo eyed him.

"It's come to my attention that Uzumaki Naruto—that transfer student from Uzushio High School—was seen in a…compromising physical situation with a female student," Neji chose his words carefully.

Danzo's gaze narrowed. "Hmm."

"It is against the rules of the school for illicit physical relationships to be conducted on the campus between students, or between a student and a member of staff," Neji told the principal.

"Yes, I am aware of that," Danzo held up a hand to pause Neji. "But there must be evidence of this. Do you have that evidence?"

"Inuzuka Kiba told me a short while ago that he overheard Naruto-kun discussing the alleged incident with a number of his classmates, earlier today," said Neji.

"Hmm. And what of the female student in the equation?" asked Danzo.

"…that is the other reason for my urgency, Shimura-sama," and here Neji lowered his voice. "It is being alleged that the girl in question is Hyuga Hinata, my cousin."

Now Danzo scowled. "And you want to protect the name of your family from such a declaration, yes?"

"I respectfully admit, Shimura-sama, that I have only gotten this information secondhand," said Neji. "But Kiba-kun is the son of Konoha Town's chief of police, and he is not known for making up stories. By contrast, as we had discussed here in this office a while back, Naruto-kun's transcript record indicates that he was transferred because of management problems, of which the report was vague in detail…"

"Yes, yes, I remember that too," said Danzo. "So what do you suspect?"

"It seems Hinata may in fact have a fascination with Naruto-kun…and he might see fit to take advantage of that, because of who our family is," said Neji. "And if word of this liaison gets out, whether it is true or not, the school will be scandalized. As student council president, I wish to avoid such a result while nipping the problem in the bud and maintaining good morale among my fellow students."

"I see." Danzo touched the fingertips of both hands together and then placed his hands under his chin. "Let me ensure I have your information properly. You have a report that says this transfer student, whose past record we have no concrete information about, may have behaved inappropriately with a girl who happens to be _your_ cousin, and this report is coming from a student whose parent is a paragon in our town. And you want to take this problem in hand for the purpose of keeping up good morals at this school and also to protect your own family name from scandal. Correct?"

Neji held his head down a little. "I realize I have selfish motives in this, Shimura-sama, but if my family name is affected by this incident, and said incident proves to be true, then this school will likewise be affected," he answered. "We don't know what led to Naruto-kun leaving Uzushio High to come here…and until you can get more certain details from that institution, can we risk finding out first-hand in a way that will cause gossipers to say all manner of evil against our school?"

Danzo did not move his hands from under his chin. "Your point is well-made, Neji-kun. A scandal is the last thing we need here…and we definitely do not need your uncle's wrath coming down on us over his daughter." He closed his eyes. "Very well. I will leave it up to you to deal with as you see fit."

"Hai, Danzo-sama. Arigato." Neji bowed in respect and then left the office—with a smirk on his face.

**OoOoO**

The hours passed. The clock ticked closer and closer to dismissal time. And…

_Ding-ding-ding-dong! Ding-dong-dong-dong!_

"Woo-hoo! All right, school's over!" Naruto cheered as he and his classmates burst out. "Time to get outta here!"

He bore a wide grin as he strutted along the corridor, swinging his bag in his hand. "Going-home time, going-home time, going-home time," he sang out.

"Oi, Naruto! Wait a moment, would you?"

Turning, Naruto saw Ino sticking her head out from one of the classroom doors. "Ah, Ino!" he greeted her. "What, you ready to walk home now?"

"Not quite," said Ino. "Come in here a moment, would you?"

Puzzled, Naruto came into the rapidly-emptying classroom and saw Ino standing at the far side, beckoning to him—and close to her was another familiar figure. "Uh…you're…" he began.

Hinata stood there, holding her head down shyly. "H-hello, Naruto-kun," she said gently.

"Well, I'll just let you two have a moment alone to talk," Ino chuckled, and here she marched out of the classroom behind the crowd of students and immediately shut the door.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted at the shut door. "Uh…okay, this is a little weird…" He turned to Hinata. "What was that all about?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…it was her idea," Hinata explained. "She said you and I should talk about…what happened yesterday."

Naruto's eyes widened at that, and as the memory of their accidental kiss came back to his mind, he blushed deeply. "Uh—uh—well—about that," he stammered. "I—uh—"

"Are you angry with me, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked seriously.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "Why would I be mad at you, Hinata?"

"Um…the thing is…" Hinata crossed her hands behind her back and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "What happened…I…what I mean is…it was your first time, wasn't it? Having a girl that close to you, I mean. And I…even if it wasn't on purpose, I took your first kiss from you…and you must have been waiting to give it to someone you really like…"

"…oh." Naruto didn't know what else to say just then.

"I'm sorry if I've offended you, Naruto-kun. I hope you can forgive me." Hinata gave a quick bow and started to walk past him—but then she stopped as his hand gripped her arm. "Huh?"

"Oi, Hinata. You don't just start a conversation and then leave before it's finished." Naruto looked at her. "And for the record…I'm not mad at you."

"You're…not?" Hinata blinked ever-widening eyes.

"I mean, yeah, it kinda caught me off-guard when we fell down and—well, you know," said Naruto. "But…it wasn't really _bad,_ you know? At least, I didn't think so. But…" He gave her an intense look. "If anything, I'd think you'd be the one who should be mad at ME…because it was your first time, too, wasn't it? And you must have been saving it for someone special."

"Oh. Well…" Hinata stepped back toward him. "It's embarrassing to say, Naruto-kun…but…" She brushed her hair away from one eye as her blush deepened. "That moment…I lost my first kiss…to the one I was hoping to save it for."

Now it was Naruto's turn to blink. "Huh?"

"I…I haven't known you that long, and I don't know you that well…but still…for some reason, I've found myself, I don't know, drawn to you," Hinata said quietly. "My father may have forbidden me to interact with you too much…but…somehow, I just can't pick up any bad vibes from you. I don't see you as a bad person, even despite Father's concern for me. And Ino-san has said such noble things about you…" Now she allowed herself to look into his face. "Please…I wish I knew for sure what I feel…whether it's just infatuation or misplaced friendship, or something else…but I definitely know…I want to know Naruto-kun more than I do now. I want to be around you…get to know you…and see where it goes from there…"

Silence reigned for a long moment as Hinata's voice trailed off. Then Naruto spoke, his voice low. "Hinata…you seem to be a nice person, with a nice personality. I don't know you that well, either…but…I think that, even if we hadn't…crashed into each other like that, yesterday…" Here a little smile came over his face. "I'd definitely want to get to know you, as a friend."

Hinata's expression changed. "As…a friend?" she asked, with just a slight tremor in her voice, and for a moment she wondered if this was how Kiba had felt that morning.

"That's how all relationships start, right? As friendships." Naruto cocked his head slightly. "If I'm gonna be honest, Hinata…your lips felt nice…" He couldn't help but smile at the blush that came over her face anew. "But I'd be an idiot to just jump up and ask you to be my girlfriend right off the bat. It would seem kind of awkward. And I don't want you to be awkward around me, or for me to be awkward around you, you know? So…"

All this time he hadn't let go of his grip on her arm, though he had loosened it a little; now his hand slid down so that, instead of her arm, he was holding her hand. "Like you said, Hinata, let's get to know each other…and see where it goes. I've heard stuff about your family…but I want to know YOU, the real Hinata, too. As it is…I'm not angry at you…I won't forget yesterday…and I hope you won't regret it, either."

Again silence reigned. Then Hinata's lips shifted to form a small smile. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I appreciate your honesty." She nodded. "Yes. Let's see where it goes." Then she planted a quick kiss on his cheek, surprising him, and then ran for the door and ran out.

Naruto stared after Hinata's disappearing form. Unconsciously, he put a hand to his cheek where she'd kissed him. "O…kay…"

"Aw, it's the budding of a beautiful love story!" Ino's voice broke out, before the girl herself stuck her head in the door, a big grin on her face.

"Wha—! You were eavesdropping all along?" Naruto screamed, outraged fangs in his mouth.

"Yep—and my mission was a success!" Ino pumped her fist in victory. "Hinata and Naruto, sitting in a tree…" she started humming.

"Get over here, you blond Cupid!" Naruto raged, rushing at Ino. However, she was much faster and ran ahead of him. "Come back here!"

"Nya-nya-nya-nya-nya!" Ino teased him. "Slowpoke!"

The two ran through the corridor and out of the building, and toward the school gate, startling a few students they ran past in the process—and then from somewhere close by, someone shouted, "UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

"Eh…?" Ino slowed down to a stop, and likewise Naruto, on the verge of attacking her from behind, checked his movement, even as other students in the schoolyard looked up in confusion at the shout. "Who…?" the two said in unison.

"Good—I got your attention," the voice spoke up again, and now they pinpointed its owner as a boy leaning on one of the front gate's posts with his arms folded over his chest. "Now then…the name's Inuzuka Kiba…and I'm challenging you, Uzumaki Naruto!"

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 10

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: I will admit, that last bit with Naruto and Hinata was exclusively for the NaruHina shippers out there, including myself. At the same time I sought to be as balanced and realistic as I could be, given what's happened between the two in this story up to now. Aaaaaaand yeah, I realize Neji's coming across as a manipulative little bastard…but was it really any different from how he was portrayed during his fight with Hinata in the canon series' Chunin Exam arc? Let's see how it turns out in this universe.

Next chapter, the confrontation between Naruto and Kiba intensifies! Chapter 11 is up next!


	11. Armor-Piercing Question

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 11: Armor-Piercing Question**

"Challenging me…?" Naruto blinked. "Why exactly?"

As the other nearby students began whispering, Kiba strode forward till he was two feet away from Naruto. "Stand aside, girly," he spoke to Ino. "This is between me and him. You don't have to get involved."

Ino frowned and lifted an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but he's my friend, so I'm already involved by default."

But Naruto placed a hand on Ino's shoulder and gently pushed her to one side. "It's okay, Ino. It's me he wants, so let him have me," he said.

"But, Naruto—! Do you really need to listen to this fellow ranting and raving?" Ino demanded.

"He's obviously got something on his mind, so it's only fair to let him vent." Naruto turned his attention back to Kiba. "Now, then. What's your beef with me, pal?"

"That's more like it." Kiba smirked. "I'll get to the point, Uzumaki. I know about what you've done to Hinata-chan, and I won't allow you to have your way with her. Therefore, I'm challenging you for her honor."

Naruto scratched his head. "What—did Hinata reject your confession and so you decided to take it out on me?"

Those words resulted in Kiba stooping on the pavement, drawing lines on the ground as a cloud of depression came over him. "That's a low blow…" he lamented.

Sweat-drops appeared on everyone's heads as they bore witness to this. "Damn, dude, you're pathetic…" Naruto shook his head incredulously.

"However…! This is bigger than just me!" Kiba jumped back up, fire in his eyes. "You've defiled Hinata-chan by what you've done, and I won't allow you to defile her further! A no-account transfer student like you, who nobody knows much of anything about, doesn't deserve to touch her the way you have done! She's a goddess in mortal form, and you're just a lowly peasant! You don't deserve to kiss the ground she walks on, yet you were brazen enough to steal her first kiss from her—and who knows what else!"

The whispers among the students increased and spread furiously. "Hyuga Hinata? THE Hyuga Hinata? She lost her first kiss to _that_ guy?" the whispers ran back and forth.

Ino scowled. "Damn it…now everyone's gonna make Hinata the subject of gossip…"

Naruto shook his head. "Oi, I don't know who you think you are, to be making such declarations out of that loud mouth of yours, but you should get the facts straight before you go blowing smoke out of your blowhole," he said tartly.

"This coming from a guy whose past school record is being kept under wraps for whatever reason," Kiba said with scorn in his tone. "At least everyone can look up my background and know who I am and where I'm from—but what about you, eh? All anybody really knows about you is that you transferred from Uzushio High School—but that's all there is that anybody knows. For all we know, you might've gotten sent away from there because of some heinous crime, and your parents got it covered up to save face! Hinata-chan, and this school by extension, shouldn't have to be exposed to the wiles of people like you!"

"Why I got transferred from Uzushio High has nothing to do with you," Naruto said in a gravelly voice.

"The hell it doesn't!" Kiba shot back. "I'm fine with Hinata-chan rejecting my confession…but for her to be taken advantage of by a guy like you…_that_ I will not tolerate! Therefore…I'm challenging you, Uzumaki Naruto! What will your answer be, eh?"

Naruto leveled his gaze at Kiba. "So you want to fight, is that it?"

"Naruto…don't let him bait you…" Ino looked anxiously at him. "Besides, fighting is against the school rules. You'll both get into trouble for that!"

"Oh, I've already taken that into account, girly," Kiba addressed her. "Don't think I'd be so stupid as to throw down right here in the schoolyard. I've already got the time and place all ready for this punk…unless he's so chicken that he'll run away after such a public declaration?" His gaze shifted back to Naruto. "Well, Uzumaki? Do you accept, or don't you have the balls to face me?"

Naruto glanced at the surrounding students out of the corner of his eye. Then he turned his look back to Kiba. "When and where?"

"Naruto…!" Ino hissed.

But now Kiba was grinning. "Ah, so you're not such a chicken-wuss after all. All right…" His eyes narrowed. "5:00 this evening, at the youth center downtown, in the boxing gym. See, I'm even giving you enough time to go home and change your clothes. Don't be late, punk." And he turned and walked out the school gate.

"Ugh…" Ino rubbed one hand over her face, and then grabbed Naruto by his wrist and dragged him out the gate, amid stares from the other students. "Oi, oi, ease up!" Naruto exclaimed—but Ino didn't.

**OoOoO**

Among the students who'd just witnessed Kiba's confrontation with Naruto, Suigetsu rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Heh, heh, heh…so that blond bastard's gonna get his ass kicked, huh? Should be fun to see, after what he did to me!" he gloated.

Standing with Suigetsu, Jugo shook his head. "You brought that on yourself."

"Hey, I didn't tell him to hit a ball into my balls!" Suigetsu growled.

"But he did after you sent the ball at his head. A clear case of self-defense," Jugo said coolly. "Still…it might be fascinating to see what this Uzumaki Naruto is capable of. After all, Kiba-kun is the son of the police chief, and he'll doubtless have gotten some combat training as a result."

"Now you're talking my language!" Suigetsu grinned. "C'mon, let's hurry up and get down to that youth center! I intend to get myself a front-row seat for this!"

**OoOoO**

Also among the crowd was Uchiha Sasuke, having been drawn to the proceedings and watched the interaction between Naruto and Kiba with a curious eye. "Hm. This should prove interesting."

**OoOoO**

Neji emerged from his classroom to find Hinata waiting in the hallway for him. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Hinata," he said. "Our driver should be coming shortly. Shall we go?"

"Yes, let's, Neji-kun," Hinata nodded.

The cousins headed along the corridor and out into the schoolyard together…but as they arrived, Hinata couldn't help but notice that some of the students were throwing curious glances their way. "Neji-kun…"

"Hmm?" Neji looked at her.

"I feel…uneasy…" Hinata looked around. "Everyone's staring…"

"Don't mind them. It's just because we're of the Hyuga family, that's all," Neji said dismissively. "Ah, look, our driver is here."

**OoOoO**

Ino pulled Naruto along for several blocks before letting him go, and then she whirled to face him. "Honestly, Naruto, what's the point of acting all macho like that? Now you're bound to get into trouble for sure—and I'm sure some of those busybodies back at school are going to go down to that gym to watch you two slug it out," she scolded him.

"Hey, if I hadn't accepted the guy's challenge, he'd probably never let me leave until I said yes. What was I to do?" Naruto protested.

"Do you even know who you were facing just now?" Ino demanded. "That was Inuzuka Kiba—the son of Konoha Town's chief of police. And **she's** not known for being very kind to people who threaten to harm her children. Plus, as a cop, she's authorized to carry a gun. Do the math."

"Then I'll just stand still and let him hit me, and afterward get HIM arrested for assault. Problem solved," said Naruto. "Surely his mom's not going to be so biased as to let him off when he does something against the law, right?"

"But that won't solve the real issue here, will it?" Ino eyed him. "It's clear he's crazy about Hinata, and he sees you as competition. He'll probably think it's worth it if he can get you bruised up as a way to bandage his own ego."

"Hmm." Naruto looked skyward thoughtfully. "Actually…that gives me an idea."

"Eh?" Ino was puzzled.

"Let's get home and change. You'll soon see what I mean," and Naruto smiled a little.

**OoOoO**

The Hyuga limousine cruised along the roadway for several minutes, while in the back seat Neji and Hinata sat quietly beside the young Hanabi, who was chatting in animated fashion with a tuxedoed, bespectacled young man with bluish-gray hair. "…and then we got to try our hand at basket-weaving, when the art and craft teacher brought the basket-maker to school to show us his work," Hanabi was saying. "I tried to make my basket, but it fell apart before I was halfway done," she added with a disappointed expression.

Yakushi Kabuto, the family's personal bodyguard, smiled and adjusted his glasses with one finger. "Is that so?" he asked. "Well, that's all right. What matters is that you tried your very best."

"But Father wants us to be perfect…" Hanabi sighed.

"Perhaps, but nobody achieves perfection in any area of life right away, Hanabi-sama," Kabuto said soothingly. "Even Hiashi-sama, as rich and powerful as he is, did not master his business techniques overnight. He had to work and train to become as smart as he is now, and so will you when you become old enough to earn your own money."

"But I'm old enough now! I could start a lemonade stand if I wanted, like some of the other children do!" Hanabi said defensively. "One day I'll show you!"

"Ha, ha!" Kabuto laughed. "Well, that should be interesting to see, Hanabi-sama. Let me know as soon as you set up that business and start making money from it, okay?"

"You'll see!" said Hanabi.

Chuckling at Hanabi's childish declaration, Kabuto turned to the two older Hyugas. "And you, Hinata-sama, Neji-sama? How was your day today?" he asked.

Neji, his arms folded over his chest, allowed himself a smirk. "I learned something very interesting today," he said. "Apparently, _someone_ has a crush on someone else."

"Eh?" Hinata turned to look at him, a sweat-drop appearing on her head.

"Ah, I see." Kabuto glanced at Hinata, and then back at Neji. "Your schoolmate Tenten has a crush on you, Neji-sama, is that what you're saying?"

"Wh-wh-wh-what?" Neji recoiled with wide eyes, as it was now his turn to have a sweat-drop. "N-n-no, nothing of the sort! Tenten is absolutely not my girlfriend! We just talk and get along well, that's all!"

"Of course, Neji-sama," said Kabuto, chuckling as he rested his chin in his palm. "Then perhaps I should ask Lee-san not to regale me with any more tales of Tenten's adoration of you, yes?"

"…when does he…" Neji asked weakly.

"Oh, every time he calls the house and asks to speak with you, Neji-sama," Kabuto said casually. "And while you're being sought, he and I have the most…amusing conversations."

Neji's ears and face burned with embarrassment. _Note to self: slip arsenic into Lee's energy drinks._

"And how about you, Hinata-sama? How did your day turn out?" Kabuto turned directly to her.

"Um…" Hinata twiddled the tips of her index fingers together. "I was able to make a friend today."

"Ah, wonderful!" Kabuto nodded his approval. "So Hinata-sama is learning to come out of her shell a little more each day…isn't that a major development?" he asked.

"Yeah…swell…" Neji still hadn't gotten over his embarrassment.

Hanabi looked at her older sister. "It's a boy, isn't it?"

An even bigger sweat-drop appeared on Hinata's face. "H-H-H-How do you know that, Hanabi?" she stuttered.

"Just now you had the same look on your face that our school's cook gets on her face whenever the principal stops by to collect his lunch," said Hanabi.

"Now, now, Hanabi, it's not nice to pry," Kabuto chided mildly.

"But you did it with Neji just now," Hanabi pointed out.

"Only based on things that are already established as truth, ha-ha-ha," Kabuto laughed.

Neji flung all pretense to calm out the figurative window. "That does it—YOU'RE FIRED!" he yelled at Kabuto.

"Ah-ah-ah, nice try, Neji-sama, but only Hiashi-sama can do that," said Kabuto, smirking and wagging a reproving finger.

"Ugh…" Neji groaned, giving up. Hanabi merely shook her head in response, while Hinata glanced out the car window and gave silent thanks for the spotlight having been taken off her.

**OoOoO**

The afternoon passed fairly quickly into evening. The town square's clock read two minutes to five. And in one section of the borough, a few blocks away from the square, persons were milling about the youth center, a large building that had been there over the last fifteen years and had been built with the objective of providing numerous extracurricular choices for Konoha Town's young people. Inside the center's building, there was a basketball court, a swimming pool, and a gym with a boxing ring and numerous weight-lifting and aerobics equipment, and on the outside, next to the center's parking lot, there was an outdoor basketball court to facilitate anyone who wanted to shoot hoops after the facility's closing time of 9:00 in the night.

And outside the entrance, Suigetsu was running an enterprising business. "Tickets here! Get your tickets to see the upcoming fight between Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto! Only ten dollars per ticket!" he shouted to the varying youngsters, including Konoha High students out of uniform, who were flocking to the center in anticipation of said fight. "Snacks and drinks are only five dollars extra!" he added enthusiastically.

Jugo was manning a makeshift concession stand close by, with sandwiches, biscuits and soft drinks, and he did all this with a bored expression on his face. "I'm just still surprised you managed to get all this food and drink ready in such short time," he said in a flat voice.

"Hey, if I can make a buck on the side while watching Uzumaki get his ass handed to him, why not?" said Suigetsu. "Ah, three tickets? That'll be thirty bucks," he addressed a group of boys. "Want food while you watch the fight? Check my main man Jugo, each snack package is only five dollars more!"

"How'd you even get this stuff ready so soon? School let out at 3:00, and now it's almost 5:00," said Jugo, checking his watch.

"Eh, I managed to call in some favors from a couple of buddies who work at the different snack shops in the area," Suigetsu shrugged. "As long as I pay them back for all this stuff, they said…but seeing Uzumaki get his face stomped will be worth the repayment cost, I say."

"And if he wins?" Jugo asked.

"Then I'll buy your lunch tomorrow!" Suigetsu said boastfully.

For the first time, a small smile crept onto Jugo's face. "You're on."

Then both boys' attention was drawn to something else, as was the attention of the other persons in the area a moment after. "Well, well, well…" Suigetsu chuckled.

Approaching the youth center's entrance was Naruto, clad in blue jeans and a white T-shirt with red sleeves. "Oh, hey," he greeted Suigetsu. "How's the crotch?"

"Better, no thanks to you," Suigetsu scowled.

Jugo jabbed his thumb toward the entrance. "They're waiting for you inside."

**OoOoO**

A little distance away, Officers Iruka and Ibiki sat in their car, watching the proceedings at the youth center's entrance. "Seems something big is happening," Iruka commented. "So, do we follow Naruto-kun inside?"

"Let's wait a bit," said Ibiki. "Then we can go chat to those two guys at the front, selling tickets and snacks. I don't recall there being any announcement of a major event to be held here, after all, unless it was something that was hurriedly set up; those two will likely be able to tell us what's what."

**OoOoO**

At the Hyuga home, while the servants were busy preparing dinner, Hinata was sitting at a grand piano in the living room, practicing the piece she was to play in the upcoming school recital two months down the line. Her fingers danced from one ivory key to the next, sliding back and forth in quick rhythm, with the resulting music echoing through the halls immediately adjoining the living room area. Her eyes were closed as she played, the music sinking into her ears and reverberating in her fingertips. Close by, at the drawing table, Hanabi was busy reading a book while listening to her sister playing the instrument.

Presently Neji passed by, clas in a navy-blue jogging outfit with matching sneakers. "I'll be back in a bit," he announced. "I'm going out riding before dinner."

Hinata paused in her playing. "How long will you be out?" she asked.

"About an hour," said Neji. "That should give the cooks enough time to have dinner ready, and by then Uncle should be home from work."

"Don't let the trucks run you over on the road," Hanabi said without looking up from her book.

"Please. I'm a better bicyclist than that." Neji shook his head. "Later." He walked out.

"And don't let your girlfriend Tenten keep you too late," Hanabi called after him, again without looking up from her book.

"Silence, child!" Neji shouted from down the hall, before the front door slammed shut. Shaking her head at this, Hinata simply resumed her piano playing.

**OoOoO**

Inside the youth center's gym, nearly all available seats were taken as the fight patrons chattered excitedly, some checking their watches as if to verify that they were on time. In the very center of the gym, in the boxing ring, Kiba did a few warm-up exercises while glancing around expectantly. "What time is it now? Somebody tell me the time!" he hollered to the crowd.

"5:00 now, dude," a random person yelled back.

"Eh, well, he's probably on the way by now. I'll be nice and give him an extra five minutes to get here—and if he doesn't show up, then we all know Uzumaki Naruto's nothing but a chicken-wuss!" Kiba shouted, and several members of the crowd shouted their agreement.

Amid the crowd, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Aburame Shino and Yamanaka Ino sat together, Shikamaru looking indifferent, Choji munching on a sandwich, Shino looking as stoic as usual, and Ino scowling. "Man, where is Naruto? It's the deadline time now," Ino muttered in frustration, looking around for any sign of the blond boy.

"What a bother…why'd you even drag us out here anyway, Ino?" Shikamaru complained. "I don't like crowds like this; you know that."

"Hey, I had to get support for Naruto, didn't I?" Ino said hotly.

"Perhaps he decided to follow your initial suggestion and stay away, after all," said Shino.

"No…Naruto's not that kind of guy at all. And he said himself, he wasn't going to run away after such a public challenge," Ino sighed. "Choji, gimme a sandwich, would you?"

"Sorry, Ino, but I'm already on the last one," said Choji.

"ALREADY?" Ino gawked.

"Hey! Here he is!" somebody shouted.

At once all heads turned to the gym's exit. "So…he's come…" said Shino.

In the meantime, Naruto walked through the only available space leading to the ring. On seeing the blond boy, Kiba grinned. "About time you showed up, Uzumaki," he called out. "I was beginning to think you'd run off with your tail between your legs."

"Let's just get this over with," said Naruto, easing himself through the ropes and entering the arena. "But I'm going to tell you this right now: you're not going to lay a single finger on me."

"Oooh, them's fightin' words for sure!" said Kiba, putting up both fists and doing a bit of shadowboxing. "Let see you back them up!"

Naruto lifted one hand and made a come-here gesture. "You challenged me. Go ahead and make the first move…if you think you can."

"Don't act so arrogant, you son-of-a-bitch, or else—YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" Kiba roared, charging forward with one arm drawn back to punch, as the spectators cheered loudly.

"Kick his ass, Kiba!" several persons could be heard screaming.

Letting out a yell, Kiba flung his fist at Naruto's head—but the other boy dodged aside, causing him to run right into the ring-ropes. The ropes stretched out slightly, then snapped back in place, with the effect of throwing Kiba to the canvas hard. Snarling, Kiba jumped back up and, spotting Naruto a few feet away, rushed at him with a swinging punch to his opponent's jaw…and Naruto ducked and dodged underneath the punch, resulting in Kiba hitting empty air and stumbling.

Gritting his teeth, Kiba spun around and lunged at Naruto, throwing punch after punch at him. Each and every one was dodged and shifted, with Naruto staying just one step ahead of him. Getting exasperated, Kiba screamed out and charged headlong at Naruto—who stepped aside just in time for the brown-haired boy to run face-first into the corner-post, resulting in him knocking himself to the canvas again.

"Oooh…that had to hurt," Ino remarked as she saw Kiba cringing on the ground and holding his face from having just run into the corner-post.

"But does Naruto expect to win this by just dodging?" Choji wondered aloud. "I mean, he could at least throw a punch or something…"

Shikamaru shook his head. "I don't think he _has_ to…he's letting Kiba beat himself up, pretty much."

**OoOoO**

Chief Inuzuka shifted through a number of reports on her desk, frowning as she briefly perused each one. Then suddenly her desk phone rang, and she let out a sigh as she answered it. "Hello, Konoha Town Police, Chief Inuzuka Tsume speaking," she greeted the caller.

"_Chief Inuzuka, your son Kiba is in a fight at the youth center in town. Just thought you should know."_ Then the line went dead.

"What? What's that about Kiba? Who is this—hello? Hello? Damn it!" Chief Inuzuka slammed the phone back into its cradle, her face a picture of sudden rage.

**OoOoO**

Elsewhere in the youth center's parking lot, Neji parked his bicycle near the fence and secured it with a bicycle chain and padlock. "They should have already started by now," he mused to himself. "I wonder who's winning…" He hurried inside.

**OoOoO**

Ibiki's phone rang in his pocket, and he promptly answered it. "Yeah, Detective Morino," he spoke up. "…what? All right, understood. Yeah, we're there already. We're on it. Right."

"What is it, Morino-san?" Iruka queried as his partner hung up on the call.

"That was the chief," said Ibiki, his face grim. "An unidentified caller just phoned her back at the office, saying her son Kiba's in a fight inside the center."

"What?" Iruka was immediately attentive. "Then we've gotta get in there now!"

"Let's verify a few things first," Ibiki declared, exiting the car and striding briskly toward the concession-stand boys, with Iruka a half-step behind him. "Hey, you! Police!" he shouted, holding up his badge.

The white-haired boy who'd been selling tickets paled at the announcement. He turned to flee—but Ibiki was far faster than him and collared him seconds later. "Hey, lemme go, dude! I didn't do anything!" the boy protested as the cop twisted his arm behind his back.

"Oh, yeah? Then why'd you run, dipstick?" Ibiki demanded, marching his quarry back to where they'd been.

The orange-haired boy, still standing coolly at the snack-stand, shook his head. "I should apologize for Suigetsu; he's an idiot to the Nth degree," he said to Iruka.

"Suigetsu? Oh, yeah, now I remember you," said Ibiki. "Didn't I bust you a while back for shoplifting?"

"Nice way to out me, Jugo," Suigetsu snapped at the other boy. "Anyway, you've got nothing on me, cop. I've been out of juvie almost three months now, and I'm not going back there."

"Well, guess what, genius—offering goods for sale without the requisite license, like your tickets and foodstuffs here, constitutes a criminal offense," Iruka shook his head as he confiscated the tickets from Suigetsu. "But we _might_ cut you guys some slack if you tell us what's going on inside that you have to be selling tickets and snacks for."

"One of our schoolmates challenged another to a fight here at the center this evening, and Suigetsu got the idea to make a buck off of it," Jugo said simply.

"Damn it, Jugo!" Suigetsu snapped.

"Shut up, white-head," Ibiki shook him roughly. "Hey, you know a guy named Inuzuka Kiba?" he asked Jugo directly.

"He was the one who made the challenge, to one Uzumaki Naruto," Jugo explained. "They should've already started in there about now."

Iruka and Ibiki shared a look. "That Kiba kid's gonna get himself slaughtered…" Iruka whispered.

Ibiki shoved Suigetsu to one side. "You two, beat it, now," he ordered. Then, as the boys promptly ran off, he turned to Iruka. "I'm going in there. If Uzumaki Naruto's lain one hand on Kiba, the boss-lady's going to hang him AND us."

"Got it. I'll watch over this food-stand so nobody gets any bright ideas," said Iruka.

**OoOoO**

Back in the ring, Kiba slowly rose to his feet, glaring daggers at the still-composed Naruto. His nose was leaking blood from the force of his crashing into the corner-post, and one of his lips was bruised from said impact. "You…are you trying to make a fool out of me?" he seethed. "As if stealing Hinata-chan's first kiss wasn't bad enough!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Are you going to calm down now, or are we going to continue playing bullfight all evening?" he asked.

"SCREW YOU!" Kiba exploded, running forward and jumping into a flying kick—but Naruto ducked and rolled out of the way, resulting in Kiba landing hard on the canvas. Not giving up, Kiba pulled himself back to his feet and lunged headfirst at Naruto again—and Naruto jumped out of the way yet again, causing Kiba to sail right into the ropes, this time getting tangled in them. "Ungh—ow! Lemme go, stupid ropes!" Kiba exploded.

Naruto walked up behind him. Kiba froze, suddenly realizing the vulnerable position he was in, as tangled up as he was. The audience members looked on with wide eyes, immediately seeing this as Naruto's perfect opportunity.

"Like a matador wears out a bull before killing it…Naruto has done likewise to Kiba," Shino said softly.

Just at that moment, Neji was squeezing his way through the crowd, just in time to see Kiba's predicament. "What…?"

At almost the same moment, Ibiki entered the gym and was at once swamped by the crowd standing or sitting right there. However, he could see just well enough to see the ring—and Kiba struggling afresh to free himself from the ring-ropes even as Naruto stood behind him. "Uzumaki!" he shouted, but his yell got caught up amidst the din the crowd was making. "Dammit, let me through! I'm a cop! Move it!" he shouted, roughly shoving past the spectators to reach the ring.

Then Naruto took a quick, deep breath, and— **"WHAT WAS HINATA'S OPINION?"**

Kiba stopped fighting the ropes. The crowd sat in gradually-spreading, stunned silence. Even Ibiki stopped pushing through the crowd for a moment as Naruto's shouted question sank in across the entire space of the gym floor. "…what?" Kiba managed.

Naruto exhaled loudly. "It's a simple question. Can you answer it?" His eyes bore into Kiba.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 11

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: A bit of _Law and Order_ influenced Iruka and Ibiki's actions here, I will acknowledge. Makes for more diverse writing, when you mix and mash, IMHO. Anyway…Chapter 12 is up next, folks!


	12. Foiled Gambit

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 12: Foiled Gambit**

Carefully easing himself out of the tangled ring-ropes, Kiba stood up and turned to face Naruto. "What're you saying?" he asked.

Naruto's gaze did not waver. "You're acting all concerned about Hinata and whatever influence you think I might have on her. You're getting all worked up because of what you think my influence on her would be. But did you ask her what her opinion was on the whole matter?" he asked.

Kiba's jaw tightened. "All she said was that she liked somebody else…and then I heard you bragging with your buddies about what happened between you two," he growled.

Naruto rolled his eyes at that. "Oh, brother. Okay, so you overheard us talking about it. But did you get the full story? Did you even go to Hinata to hear her side of it?"

"…"

"That's what I thought." Naruto sighed. "And in any case…you say you're cool with her refusing whatever confession you made to her…but if you really liked her, wouldn't you respect her choice?"

"…" Slowly, almost without realizing it, Kiba leaned back against the ropes and let himself drop down gently into a sitting-kneeling position. "I haven't, have I…" he said quietly, more to himself than to Naruto. Then he looked up. "I surrender, Uzumaki Naruto."

Murmurs swept through the crowd as Kiba's declaration hit their ears. Ibiki, taking a quick glance around him, decided to take the opportunity to announce his presence. "Pol—"

"POLICE! NOBODY MOVE! STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!"

Seconds later, it seemed that a whole battalion of uniformed cops was pouring into the room, spreading out in the gym amidst the suddenly-bewildered spectators. "Wha…!" Ibiki's eyes widened.

A figure moved through the crowd toward him, and he recognized it as his police partner. "Sorry, Morino-san, I couldn't stop them…they came up so suddenly," Iruka said apologetically.

The boys in the ring stared as several of the officers closed around them. "Who called the cops? And this many at once?" Naruto asked.

Kiba shook his head. "Seems my mom got overprotective again."

"You boys! Don't move!" one policeman shouted at them.

"Hold on, it's all right, the brown-haired one is the chief's son!" another spoke up. "And he's hurt! Get in there!"

The next thing Naruto knew, he was flanked by three burly cops while several more surrounded Kiba and helped him up. "I didn't touch him," he offered.

"Save it for the station, boy," one of the cops glowered.

**OoOoO**

In what seemed no time at all, Naruto found himself being pulled into the police station, held by the collar of his shirt, while Kiba was carried in with him, albeit more courteously. "Hold 'em out here, I'll get Chief Inuzuka," one cop instructed before hurrying off.

Iruka and Ibiki had followed the group into the station; now they came forward to talk to the boys. "Oi, Naruto-kun, how'd you get yourself into this kind of trouble?" Iruka asked the blond boy.

"Long story," said Naruto.

"You're going to have plenty of time to tell it," Ibiki said gruffly.

"Kiba!" Chief Inuzuka's voice rang out, and then the woman herself appeared, looking frantic as she approached her son. "What happened? Your nose is bleeding! Are you all right?" she fired off rapidly.

"Mom, Mom, Mom, it's no big deal…" Kiba tried to explain.

Chief Inuzuka then turned her eyes to Naruto. "And you…" Her gaze narrowed. "All right, both of you are coming into my office now."

Taking both boys by the shoulder, she marched them into her office and had them sit in the chairs before her desk. "Now, then," she said as she shut the door and took her seat. "Whose explanation do I get to hear first? Why were you two fighting?"

"Mom—it was my fault," Kiba spoke up immediately. "I challenged him, I called him out to the youth center, and I tried to beat him up. All he did was dodge everything I threw at him—he never touched me once."

"Then how do you explain your nosebleed?" asked Chief Inuzuka.

"I, uh…I ran into one of the corner-posts in the boxing ring," Kiba said sheepishly.

Chief Inuzuka reached into her desk drawer, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to Kiba to wipe his nose. Then she turned to Naruto. "Show me your knuckles," she ordered.

Shrugging, Naruto held up both hands, and the top cop came around and examined them. "Hmm…no fresh bruising or bleeding," she noted. "Okay, fine. But what sparked all of this in the first place?"

"Errr…" Kiba glanced at Naruto. "It was a fuss over a girl."

"Ah, I see." Chief Inuzuka crossed her arms over her chest. "A love triangle, is it? Well, has either of you asked what the girl thinks of it all?"

"That's what I said…" Naruto muttered.

"Hmph. All right, Kiba, go get yourself cleaned up. We'll talk about this later," Chief Inuzuka instructed, and Kiba gave a nod and then left the office. "Now, as for you," the top cop continued as the officer door was shut again. "Your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Okay. That's what I thought." Chief Inuzuka nodded. "I've heard quite a few things about you…including your, shall I say, rather interesting past history."

"…you mean with the Kyuushingai," Naruto clarified. "That's why those two cops have been following me everywhere these last couple of weeks. You want to keep me on a leash and make sure I don't cause a riot."

"Naturally," the police chief answered. "But even with that, I'm a little surprised you didn't lay a hand on Kiba at all. You could've easily overpowered him in your little spat just now, but by his declaration, you didn't even breathe on him. You, one of the Nine Terrors, showing restraint—I wouldn't have expected that."

"Well, I guess I should be lucky I got told ahead of time that Kiba's the police chief's son," said Naruto. "When I was told, I figured that if I laid a finger on him, the police chief would line up every cop in town to use me as target practice—and assuming I survived that, I'd still have a freshly-printed criminal record, and that would get me into trouble at school."

Tsume had to hand it to the boy—he wasn't as stupid as certain anime fillers would have portrayed him to be. "So instead of hitting him, or taking the higher road and letting him beat you, you chose the path of least violence and got him tired out instead," she said.

"Pretty much," said Naruto.

"Then let me ask you this. Suppose you didn't know whose son he was…would you have fought back then?" Tsume watched him carefully.

Naruto returned her look without flinching. "Maybe."

"…I see. Well, in that case, be thankful for whichever friend it was who told you that information." The older woman went back into police chief mode. "Because…" Her eyes flashed as she came up close to him and leaned into his face. "If my son ever got so much as a scrape on him from you, I don't care if you were part of a group that terrified whole cities, I would stuff a shotgun up your ass and pull the trigger. Am I understood?"

Her dark, motherly malevolence threatened to overwhelm Naruto. "Yes, ma'am," he said in a meek voice, as a gigantic sweat-drop rolled down the side of his head.

"Good!" Chief Inuzuka leaned away from and was more amiable now. "Well, now that that's settled and we're on the same page, I think we can write off this whole incident and call it a day." She allowed a smirk to play out on her face. "Senju-sama already trusts you to live like a decent human being in her town. I had my doubts about that decision…but I'll run with it, too."

"So does this mean you'll ask those two cops out there to stop tailing me in their car every day?" asked Naruto.

"I think we can go easy where that's concerned," Chief Inuzuka conceded. "Of course, for safety's sake, I'm still going to keep an eye on you. After all…" Her tone became more serious. "You're only just one of the Kyuushingai. I have no way of knowing if any of the other eight will show up in town at any time…nor if any enemies you'd have made from the 365 days' campaign might come looking for revenge."

Naruto nodded. "Well, I can't speak for any of them. I can only speak for myself." He leaned back in his chair. "Am I gonna be put under arrest? For what happened back then, I mean."

Tsume closed her eyes and pondered the question. "I'll have to get back to you on that," she said finally. "For the time being, though…just stay out of trouble as best you can." She waved dismissively. "You're free to go."

"Right." And with that, Naruto got up and left the office.

**OoOoO**

A few minutes later, Naruto was walking down the steps of the police station—and, on looking up, he saw four familiar figures waiting for him. "Ino! Shikamaru! Choji! Shino!" he called their names. "You guys were here, too?"

"The cops were taking our statements and our contact info," Shikamaru sighed. "Man, what a drag. You're more troublesome than I first took you for, Naruto, by far."

"You did display considerable capacity for restraint during that match-up with Kiba…you are to be lauded for that," Shino commented.

"So…are you in any trouble, Naruto?" Ino asked anxiously.

"Not for now," Naruto shrugged. "As it is, I'm just gonna go home and get some dinner into my gut."

"Can we come?" Choji asked.

"Moron, don't just ask things like that out of the blue!" Shikamaru scolded him.

"Although…it's true that I haven't been to your house before, even though you've been to my dad's place already," Ino said thoughtfully. "Do you think your parents would mind if visitors came to see you?"

"Ah, well, it's just me and my mom living together," Naruto informed them. "And I haven't had visitors over yet since I came here to Konoha Town."

"Having visitors over at your house is certainly a mark of trust and development of a relationship," said Shino. "But it would be rude of us to just impose ourselves on you and your mother."

"Hey, we won't know unless we ask, right?" said Choji.

"You're just thinking of filling your belly," Ino scolded him, rapping her knuckles on the big boy's abdomen.

"Hey, can I help it if I have a healthy appetite?" asked Choji.

"There's nothing about **your** appetite that's healthy," Ino shot back.

Naruto laughed. "C'mon, guys, it's no biggie. Mom's always eager to cook—if we ask nicely, there's no reason she can't do a little extra. So let's go celebrate my not being thrown in jail!"

"Right…" Shikamaru shook his head.

**OoOoO**

As the quintet walked off together, from the corner of a building a few feet away, a girl with her hair tied back in two buns watched them with interest. _So…that boy is Uzumaki Naruto…_

Tenten had been among the students who'd heard Inuzuka Kiba's initial challenge to the blond boy on the grounds of Konoha High School, and she'd been present at the youth center where the showdown had taken place. She had studied the two boys as they confronted each other in the boxing ring, and had watched how they moved and what their fighting techniques would consist of. She had seen how Naruto managed to dodge, weave, and effectively dance his way around Kiba's admittedly wild assault attempts, tiring out the other boy to the extent that he could have easily pulled a victory the moment Kiba got himself caught in the ropes…only to bring the battle to a stop with that one question, and subsequent series of questions, that he had asked.

_But if you had actually fought back, Naruto…how lucky would Kiba have been?_

Tenten had always had a keen eye for how fighters utilized their skills. She herself had never thought of herself as being a girly type of female, but more action-oriented, although ironically she felt more at home in any outfit that was clearly female than in jeans or pants. She preferred to think of herself as somewhere comfortably in the middle between tomboy and girly-girl, recognizing herself as a female but at the same time not allowing herself to be physically limited because of it. Knowing fully well that not even a relatively quiet town like Konoha would ever be totally crime-free, she had taken up kickboxing and weapons training, combining both with her longtime talent for athletics to develop a style that was at once swift, graceful and deadly for anyone who tried to get on her wrong side.

And she'd been testing it a lot lately. Going out in the night after school dismissed, challenging street punks wherever she could find them, whether lounging around on the different avenues or kicking back at any seedy bar or fast-food joint…and thus far she'd been undefeated. Every thug she'd beaten up would remember her fists for as long as she'd be around.

But lately it had become a source of growing frustration for her.

Fighters, she strongly believed, only get more powerful by defeating strong opponents, and beating up the weaklings she faced every night was tantamount to a grown-up taking candy from a baby. Tenten didn't think she was getting any better by trouncing the town's punks, no matter how many of them were new faces to her or how many of them lounged around the streets to seek revenge for past beatings. Even fighting more than one at a time was proving tiresome—not in the physical sense, for Tenten knew better than to take on more than four or five at a time, and she well knew that no real gangster would respect the ancient rules of combat—but more in the sense that she was losing the desire to even lift her fists as time went by and more opponents fell at her hand.

Yet it was her personal drive that kept her from quitting her "after-school activities" altogether. She refused to let herself become weak, no matter what. She had to be strong, if she was going to achieve what she wanted.

And now, after seeing Naruto in action, she felt she could fulfill her desire.

_You're definitely an interesting fellow, Naruto,_ she thought to herself as she watched him and his friends departing the area. _Even though you're a few years below me at Konoha High School…I wonder which of us would win if we were to have a match…_

Just then her attention was caught by something else: Hyuga Neji bicycling away from the police station. "Huh? Neji? Hey, Neji!" she shouted out to him.

Clearly he'd heard her, for he stopped the bicycle and looked over his shoulder. "Tenten?"

Tenten ran to meet him. "Hey there, Neji," she greeted him. "It's not often I get to see you outside of school. Are you out bicycling again?"

"I just thought I'd go out for a little ride before my uncle gets home for dinner," said Neji.

"But you were riding away from the police station just now," Tenten pointed out. "Has something happened?"

"Well…a few persons were taken in a while ago, some of whom attend our school, so naturally I was curious to see what the outcome would be," Neji explained.

"Yeah, I just saw a couple of them leaving, myself," said Tenten. "By the way, were you at the youth center a while earlier? There was talk of a big fight taking place there between two boys from our school…"

"I heard—the talk was that one of them was the son of the police chief," Neji supplied. "And the other person just transferred here to Konoha a few weeks ago, Uzumaki Naruto by name."

"Uzumaki Naruto…a blond guy with whisker-marks on the face, right?" Tenten inquired.

"Yes, that's him…but how did you know?" Neji asked.

"I just saw him leave the station with a few of his friends," Tenten explained. "I wonder, though…do you think they're going to get in trouble, those two?"

"Hmm." Neji frowned. "Technically the fight didn't take place on school grounds, and they weren't in the school uniform at the time, so who knows…this may be a matter for the police—assuming they decide to pursue it any further."

"I see," said Tenten. "Still, I wonder how the cops managed to find out what was happening so quickly."

"Someone must have phoned it in. It's quite possible," said Neji.

"Really," said a thoughtful Tenten.

Neji regarded his schoolmate. "On a different topic, Tenten…Lee says he's noticed that you're coming to school very tired in the days. Is everything all right?"

"Eh? Oh, well…you know how it goes—lots of extracurricular activities when school lets out," Tenten chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "Don't worry, I'll try and rest more often if you guys are really so worried about me like that."

"You do that," Neji nodded. "Well, I need to hurry home just now. If Uncle Hiashi gets home to dinner before I do, he will be angry."

"I understand. Well, I need to hurry on home, myself, so let me not keep you any longer. See you at school, Neji!" Tenten nodded and waved as she ran off.

And in her mind, Tenten's thoughts were running as freely as she herself was physically. _Yeah…hurry home and get ready for another night of exercise…because now that I've seen that Naruto in action, I want to make sure I'm really in shape for when I eventually challenge him! Just you wait, Uzumaki Naruto!_

**OoOoO**

Watching his schoolmate's departure, Neji prepared to ride off—but then he checked his action as he saw something else. On the other side of the street, Inuzuka Kiba himself was walking along, holding what appeared to be a piece of cotton to his nose. Eyes narrowing, Neji checked both ends of the roadway and then hurriedly rode across to meet the other boy. "Kiba," he hailed him.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you, Neji," Kiba replied. "Did you see it?"

"I arrived late," said Neji. "More importantly, I saw you and Naruto-kun being taken to the police station. What happened?"

"Well, my mom just sent me home—said she'd talk to me after she gets out of the office," said Kiba. "For now, though, I gotta hold this cotton to my nose to help the bleeding."

"And Naruto-kun?" Neji pressed.

"Mom didn't go in detail, but…the long and short of it is, the cops won't charge Naruto with anything," said Kiba. "Since technically he didn't injure me or anything…this nosebleed was my own fault from that corner-post in the ring," he added sheepishly.

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly. "I see."

Kiba sighed. "Well, I did go into that whole thing pretty recklessly. And he could've kicked the crap out of me if he'd really wanted to…so I guess I owe him a debt for that." He looked away as a thoughtful expression came over his face. "I should've thought the whole thing through a bit more than I did…even though what you said made sense at the time."

"No," Neji shook his head. "If anything, I underestimated Naruto-kun when I laid out the plan I had to you. I took him as nothing but a delinquent because of his transcript record…but there is certainly more to him than meets the eye. And I caused you to be humiliated in the bargain, when my intention was to humiliate him. For that, I offer my apologies."

"Eh, it's no biggie. You're my senior, so it's only natural I'd have followed your orders," Kiba shrugged. "You win some, you lose some. That's just how it goes sometimes."

"Perhaps so," said Neji. "At any rate, Kiba, I need to go home now. Take care." And he turned his bicycle in the direction of home and rode off.

"Right, then," Kiba called after him.

But as Neji rode the bicycle, his eyes narrowed more while the rest of his face supplied a hard scowl. _Naruto-kun…I'd intended for you to get in trouble by causing injury to the son of the police chief, so that you would get a criminal record, and therein set the stage for you to be thrown out of Konoha High School…all to keep you away from Hinata. But you managed, however narrowly, to evade that trap. You're more cunning than I thought you to be, without a doubt._

His deep anger translated into greater pedaling strength as he rode along the sidewalk and toward the hill leading to the Hyuga mansion, even as the distant setting sun created an appropriate backdrop against the towering building in the distance. Approaching the foot of the hill, he raised himself off the bicycle seat and pedaled harder, allowing his anger to be turned into even greater strength to propel him up the hill.

_This is not over, Naruto-kun._

**OoOoO**

"Mom, I'm home!" Naruto called as he entered the house. "And I brought some friends with me! Can they stay for dinner?"

In the kitchen, Kushina turned on hearing her son's voice. "Ah, you brought company?" she remarked. "That's quite lovely, dear. And luckily for you, I've cooked enough for an army today!"

"You always cook enough for an army," Naruto deadpanned as he came into the kitchen.

"Yes—a one-man army named Naruto," and Kushina stuck her tongue out at him.

"Touché," Naruto grunted.

Slipping off their shoes and putting on the supplied house-slippers, Naruto's four friends looked around. "Sorry to disturb you, we're coming in," Ino called.

Kushina came out of the kitchen to see the visitors. "Welcome, welcome," she said. "I'm Uzumaki Kushina, Naruto's mother. Please, make yourselves at home. The dining area is just over here," and she indicated its direction with her arm.

"Thank you, Uzumaki-san," Shino nodded respectfully.

Following Kushina's direction, the four came into the dining area and sat together. "So, you all go to the same school as Naruto, correct?" Kushina queried.

"Yes, ma'am," said Ino. "I'm Yamanaka Ino, and these are Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Aburame Shino," pointing out each boy as she introduced them. "We're not all in the same class with Naruto, but we hang out together from time to time."

"Hmm." Kushina looked at Ino. "So, have you and Naruto started dating already?"

"WHAT?" Ino's eyes went wide and she blushed as Shikamaru and Choji snickered while Shino stayed quite calm. "No, no! Naruto and I are just friends, that's all!"

"Yeah, Mom," Naruto said, coming in at that moment. "Ino and I met the first day I came to town, and she clocked me with a baseball bat. Who'd want a violent girl like her as a girlfriend?"

"What's that?" Ino glared at him.

"Oi, Ino, remember you're a guest in someone's home," Shikamaru reprimanded her.

"How energetic you all are!" Kushina chuckled. "Well, I hope you're all in the mood for ramen, because I've just cooked up a big pot of it. Chicken ramen with plenty of noodles, how does that sound?"

"Sounds great, Uzumaki-san!" Choji declared.

"Then I'll get it ready for you all," and Kushina went back into the kitchen.

"So, what do you guys think? It's not a fancy place, but it's home for Mom and me," said Naruto, sitting down to join the others.

"It's definitely all right," said Shikamaru, leaning back with one arm over the back of his chair.

"Do you and your mother have regular dinnertime conversation, Naruto-kun?" asked Shino.

"Eh, I guess," said Naruto.

"What about your dad?" Choji asked.

"Ah, well…Dad's still in Whirl City," said Naruto. "It's…a bit complicated."

"Oh…sorry, man," said Choji, immediately apologetic.

"Nah, it's no biggie," Naruto shrugged. "Things happen, you know?"

Ino didn't say anything, but frowned a little. _Actually…now that I think about it, I haven't gotten around to asking him why he transferred from Uzushio High School to come to Konoha High…and the one time it came up, back then, he said he's rather not get into it again…_ She fingered her chin, lost in thought. _I'm the only one sitting here who knows the truth about Naruto…that he was one of the Kyuushingai…could that be the reason, or part of it? Back then…back when Naruto started attending Konoha High, after I asked him, I dismissed it as not being important when he brushed it off…but…there's just so much I'd like to know about him, about that part of his life, and yet…I don't want to estrange him or put him off because of my own curiosity…I'm only learning about him, little by little, and this home visit is only the latest chance for me to learn anything at all about him. Is there any way to know…or will I regret it if I do know?_

"Oh, Ino…Earth to Ino…"

Ino jerked out of her stupor, to find the four boys looking in her direction. "Penny for your thoughts?" Choji asked.

"On what?" Ino asked, feeling stupid.

"Soup's up, everybody!" Kushina interrupted the discourse, and all of them looked up to see her bearing a big tray with five medium-sized bowls on it. "Have the ramen while it's hot!" she added.

"Hey, that ramen smells great, Mom!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Mmm…sure does!" Choji agreed, taking one big whiff of the steam from his bowl as it was set before him.

"I'll join you momentarily," Kushina smiled, and then she disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Well, let's not let the soup get cold, guys. _Itadakimasu!"_ Shikamaru immediately began to dig into his bowl, followed by Naruto and Choji seconds later, while Shino delved into his portion in a more methodical manner.

Watching the boys' interaction together, Ino smiled. _Ah, what am I stressing about? Naruto's just Naruto…just a regular guy, after all…and someone I'm proud to call my friend. _With that, she proceeded to taste her ramen as well.

**OoOoO**

The mysterious shadowed figure sat in his chair, the fingertips of both hands touching each other, and he made no attempt to turn around as his tuxedoed servant appeared in the doorway. "Speak," he said.

"Our watchmen observed the proceedings at the youth center, as you ordered," the servant reported. "The target showed up at the venue…however, nothing conclusive has been documented."

"And the police reports?" the dark figure asked.

"So far, mere surveillance reports, sir. The watchmen are still keeping eyes and ears open and are ready to report any new developments at a moment's notice," said the servant. "Our other contacts are, however, preparing to go _higher_ to get more information; they seek your permission to act."

The mystery person nodded once. "Very well. Have those who possess links higher up on the food chain to make use of those links. In the meantime, the watchmen are to keep close tabs on the target as before, and any major changes are to be reported immediately."

"Hai." The servant bowed, then turned and walked away, leaving the master in the darkness once more.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 12

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: As I write this portion, it's now 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Day, December 25, 2013. Another Christmas has come and gone, and this is one of my Christmas gifts to all my readers out there. I say "one" because another will be coming up shortly: a synopsis chapter putting an official end to my other story, "Velocity," which has been in limbo for quite a while now.

As for the character of Tenten, I intend to do some serious things with her in this story, seeing as how she hasn't gotten much screen-time in the canon _Naruto_ series. But since this is an alternate-universe continuity in a high-school setting, with no ninja activity or tailed beasts to be found here, I think I may have significant leeway to write Tenten as I see fit. Every character in my story will be put to good use, that I promise you.

Now, then—Chapter 13 is on the way!


	13. Challenge Seeker

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 13: Challenge Seeker**

"We really appreciate what you've done for us, Orochimaru-sama."

The pale-skinned man, sporting long dark hair and weird amber eyes, and clad in a cream-colored suit and tie, looked unimpressed at the declaration. "I really hope you three ARE grateful that I've taken time out of my busy schedule to represent you and your boss as your lawyer," he grunted, propping his elbow on his desk and resting his chin in his palm. "Now that I've managed to secure bail for all of you, I'll be hearing 'evil lawyer' jokes from now till when I'm on my deathbed."

Sitting across from him in his office were a young man with spiky hair, a girl with her hair in a ponytail, and a second young man with bandages wrapped around the lower half of his face—Zaku, Kin and Dosu. "But even you have to admit, it took some serious smarts on your part to be able to get bail granted for us, even if you couldn't get it for Mizuki-sama," said Kin. "You pretty much had the judge eating out of your palm."

"Hey, I'm a lawyer—shaping the facts in favor of my client is what I do for a living," said Orochimaru. "Obviously, no judge in their right mind was going to grant bail to a man like Mizuki, knowing he'd killed a number of police officers and bragged about it for all the world to hear. You three, on the other hand, I was at least able to convince the court that as Mizuki's lackeys, you had to obey him or be punished. In fact, the only thing that really surprises me is that you were able to get your bail money so quickly—and your bail amounts were not chump change."

"Ah, well, Mizuki-sama had some cash stashed away in case anything like this ever came up," Zaku replied. "Always thinking ahead, you know?"

"Didn't stop him from getting arrested now, though," Orochimaru said curtly.

"In any case, Orochimaru-sama, our next court appearance isn't scheduled for another three months," Dosu said seriously.

"That's right," said Orochimaru. "The police still have a whole lot of paperwork to complete: statements from witnesses for your impending trial, ballistics reports, medical certificates, forensic results with fingerprint identification, et cetera. So, at least for now, you're all free." He fixed a penetrating gaze on them. "For heaven's sake, stay out of trouble while you're on bail. If you're arrested for any new crimes, there's no way I'll be able to convince the judge to let any of you walk out of jail afterward. Understand?"

"We've already discussed that among ourselves, Orochimaru-sama, and we've agreed not to do anything that will draw any particular attention to us," Kin said solemnly.

"Good. Now get out of here and find something constructive to do instead of wasting my office space any more," said Orochimaru, waving them off.

The trio got up, bowed respectfully, and walked out the door. Sighing as he watched their departure, Orochimaru leaned back in his chair and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it to still continue as a lawyer, with the kind of idiots I have to put up with as clients," he grumbled aloud.

**OoOoO**

Zaku, Dosu and Kin walked along the roadway together on their way back from their lawyer's office, pointedly ignoring the glares of several police officers among the various passersby. "All right, we're out of jail on bail, so…what do we do now?" Zaku asked, holding both hands behind his head.

"I know one thing I'm ready to do…get revenge on that Kurama the Fox guy," Dosu said darkly.

"But how?" Kin gave him a look. "We don't even know where to start looking…and even if we did, if we put one foot out of line we're all going back to jail."

"It shouldn't be hard to find a guy like that in a town of this size," Dosu answered her. "How many blond guys sporting whisker-marks on their faces are there living here, anyway? It's just a matter of being patient, that's all."

"So what do you suggest?" Zaku wondered.

"We've got time on our hands now. Let's start scouring the whole city, inside out," said Dosu. "The same contacts we got to secure our bail money from Mizuki-sama's funds, we can have them scope out the city to find this guy. Every conceivable place he could be, let's shake them until he shows up."

"And once we do find him…?" Kin prompted.

"Hmm…" Zaku thought for a moment. "You know, maybe we won't have to dirty our own hands to get rid of Kurama the Fox. Maybe we can get somebody to do it for us—somebody who's not already on the cops' radar."

"Like who?" Kin demanded. "It's not like we know anybody who doesn't have at least one crime to their name, who'll willingly turn assassin for us."

Dosu folded his arms over his chest in deep thought. "Actually…there might be such a person."

"Really?" Zaku and Kin spoke together in surprise.

"Yeah." Dosu smirked under the bandages hiding his mouth. "Remember the stories that we were hearing from the other guys in the lock-up, about some fighter chick who'd go around beating up punks for the heck of it?"

"Hey, yeah, I remember those rumors," Kin recalled.

"Me too—and it makes plenty of sense," and now Zaku grinned. "A fighter going around challenging strong opponents…that kind of person would definitely jump at a chance to fight one of the Kyuushingai. But how would we find her?"

"Easy enough—we go to all our links on the street, find out who among them has seen the chick recently, scope out every place she's likely to be at, and then approach her and offer her this job." Dosu's eyes narrowed as his smirk became more evident under the bandages. "Based on those stories we've heard, there's no way she'll refuse to take on this fight…and money will only sweeten the deal."

"Then let's get to it, already!" Kin grinned.

**OoOoO**

"…therefore, if the key to effective communication is making sure that the message is clearly received and understood, it stands to reason that certain things will interrupt that flow of communication and cause the message to be either misunderstood or not received at all. We call these 'communication disruptors'," the teacher spoke to the class of senior students. "Can anyone give us some examples of such disruptors?"

One student raised her hand. "By not speaking loudly or clearly enough that the other party may hear."

Another student raised his hand. "By speaking in a way that the message is not specific enough."

"When there is something distracting the other person, like a loud noise or something eye-catching in the immediate area," a third student spoke up.

"Yes, you are all correct," said the teacher. "However, communication disruptors do not necessarily only apply when the communication is verbal. It can happen in written form, too, such as when a letter or e-mail's message is only partially written or is written with bad grammar…"

Among the class's students, Rock Lee paid rapt attention to the instructor's speech. Off to his right, he knew, his classmate Hyuga Neji was likewise paying strict attention and jotting a few notes here and there. Others in the room were wearing the typical sleepy look of bored students, but that was their problem—Lee was only concerned about doing his very best, and that included getting the best grades in his classes so he could stand a chance of graduating with the rest of his year-group.

Lee and Neji had enrolled at Konoha High School at the same time, five years earlier, and since then they'd had the unusual coincidence of being always placed in the same class with each other every year. There had always been a sort of unspoken rivalry between the two young men, or at least Lee acknowledged it as such, for they were always in the top five percentile in terms of their grades; but while academics seemed to come naturally for one as bright as Neji, Lee had consistently had to study and work hard to be as good as he was, hence the perceived rivalry. Still, Lee held no resentment toward Neji for having such a natural aptitude toward schoolwork—in fact, it served as a motivator for him to continue working hard in order to excel.

"Zzzz…zzzz…"

The sound of gentle snoring near the back of the classroom caught Lee's ear. He paused, waiting until the teacher turned her back to the class to write on the board, and then turned to see where the snoring was coming from—and saw one of the female students with her head on the desk, resting atop her folded arms. _Eh? Tenten?_

Since recently, Lee had noticed, Tenten had been showing up to school slightly more and more fatigued each week. On some occasions she'd even been nodding off during class, making a clear and conscious effort to stay awake, but today seemed to be the first time she'd actually lost that battle and succumbed to her very evident need for rest.

_What has Tenten been doing that would cause her to sleep in class like this?_ Lee wondered to himself.

True, he'd been teasing Neji that Tenten must be getting tired because of secret liaisons with the gray-eyed Hyuga. It was no secret, at least to him, that Tenten held Neji in high regard, even if Neji himself brushed it off or outright refused to acknowledge it. But this…he had better speak to Neji after class.

"Tenten-san!" the teacher's sudden sharp voice broke Lee out of his line of thought, at the same time a ruler slapped on the edge of Tenten's desk.

"Huh? What?" Tenten jerked awake at the noise so close to her head. "Uh…" A big blush appeared on her cheeks as the rest of the class turned to look in her direction.

"Tenten-san, you ought to try going to bed a little earlier at nights so you can avoid this kind of situation," the teacher scolded. "Or is it that you're not feeling well? If so, you could just ask to go to the nurse."

"Gomen ne, sensei," Tenten apologized sheepishly.

"Hmm…" Lee looked thoughtful.

**OoOoO**

"Ah, thank you," Neji accepted his sandwich from the serving lady at the front of the cafeteria line and bowed slightly in respect. Then he walked off, hoping to find a good place to have lunch.

"Ah, Neji-san, there you are!" a loud voice called behind him.

Neji suppressed a groan as Lee trotted up to him. "Just how sweet was your cereal this morning, Lee?" he asked.

"No sweeter than usual," said Lee, missing the hidden meaning in the question. "More importantly, I wanted to talk to you…"

"I hope it's something important—I want to have my lunch," Neji grumbled.

"Of course it's important—it's about Tenten," said Lee, falling into step with Neji as the two walked along. "Did you notice she was asleep in class today?"

"Yes, I think we all saw," Neji said dryly.

Lee decided to rib his classmate a bit. "Was your meeting yesterday so satisfying that you got her tired enough for two days?" he grinned.

"What? Our meeting yesterday wasn't so strenuous!" Neji hissed—before clapping a hand over his mouth in sudden realization at how that statement had just come out.

"Aha! Then there WAS a meeting between you two yesterday!" Lee patted Neji on the shoulder while grinning even more widely. "Did you have birth control on hand?"

"Shut your mouth! It wasn't like that!" Neji snapped at him, fangs in his mouth. "We just saw each other near the police station, that's all!" Then suddenly his face became more serious. "But when I saw her yesterday, I did advise her to rest…and she said she would. So why would she come to school tired enough to sleep in class?"

Now Lee became serious, too. "Well, perhaps we could consider what Tenten does when she's not at school. Do you know what her extracurricular activities are?"

"I think she said she has kickboxing practice outside of school in the evenings…but I don't recall her saying where her gym or dojo is located," said Neji.

"Perhaps she trains at the youth center?" Lee suggested. "If so, maybe we could pay her a surprise visit there after school today, what do you think?"

"It's worth a shot, I suppose," Neji conceded. "And after all, we can't have another incident of a senior sleeping in class like what happened today. It sets a bad example for younger students and gives a bad impression of us seniors."

"I can't deny that you have a point," said Lee. He waited a moment. "So, near the police station, huh? You two are _really _daring!"

"Lee, one more word and I'll kick you all the way to Neptune!" Neji raged at him, slapping him with the sandwich.

**OoOoO**

That evening, as the sun gradually set over Konoha Town…

Tenten stood outside the bar, fists tightly clenched. Gone was her school uniform of a few hours earlier—now she was clad in a tight-fitting pink T-shirt that exposed her stomach, a dark blue leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, black fingerless gloves, a blue mini-skirt with identically-colored tights underneath, and black ankle-high sneakers. She was in a particularly bad area of the town, the kind of neighborhood where young women did not dare walk alone unless they were in significantly large groups or were exceptionally tough enough to take care of themselves. In this particular neighborhood, because of its seedy reputation, the local women had long ago learned to be as tough as the men, able to smash bottles, break noses, and drink, smoke and curse just as handily as their male counterparts. Being soft and feminine did not work in this area, unless you belonged to a certain class of woman who'd stoop to the lowest of depravities for the sake of earning a nightly income.

Fortunately, Tenten was tough enough to walk on her own without fear. And she'd been to this particular bar before, so it was no big deal for her. The only question she had to ask herself tonight was whether there'd be any new faces to use as punching bags, or if she'd exhausted all the so-called challenges this locale had to offer.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the bar. Very few of the patrons looked up as she walked in—they were already familiar with her. Some of the men raised their glasses in greeting, while a few looked admiringly at her rear-end curves as she walked past their tables. Ignoring them, she headed straight for the counter and sat down.

"What'll it be this evening, missy?" the grizzled-looking bartender asked her.

"The usual," Tenten replied crisply.

Nodding, the bartender turned away to prepare the girl's order. A short moment later, he poured some blood-red syrup into a blender with ice and squeezed a lemon into the brew, activated the device and watched it spin for a few seconds, and then turned off the blender and poured the slushy result into a tall glass, slipping a straw into it for good measure. "Just the way you like it, missy—blended fruit punch," he announced.

"Thanks." Tenten casually placed some money on the counter and then proceeded to sip her drink through the straw…and then heard heavy footsteps behind her. "Can I help you?" she asked without turning around.

"Drinking a virgin drink, are ya, girly?" the brawny man behind her queried. "Why don't ya trya drop or two of a real grown-up's brew in that glass? Till then, you're just a kid," and he shook his flash of rum in invitation.

"Thanks, but no thanks. For all I know, you just want to spike my drink so you can have your own way with me," said Tenten, still not turning around. "Do me and yourself a favor and bug off."

"What? Don't want a real man to guide you?" the man asked. "Or maybe you're a dyke. Eh, that's all right; I'm kinda flexible like that, ya know?"

"Just like you were flexible enough to bend over for your cellmate?" Tenten asked waspishly.

Hearing the jeering chuckles of the other patrons at that insult, the man bristled. "Oi, oi, now look here," he began, placing a callused hand on her shoulder—and then her hand shot behind his head and slammed his face down on the edge of the counter. "GAAAAH! By dose! Joo broke by dose, joo bitch!" he exploded, tightly holding his suddenly bleeding nose—and then he doubled over in pain as Tenten sent her fist flying backward into his groin, before he eventually collapsed to the ground.

Tenten regarded the downed patron, and then looked at the bartender. "New guy?"

"New guy," the bartender replied casually.

The injured man struggled to get to his feet, holding his broken nose with one hand and his swollen crotch with the other. "I'mma kill joo!" he swore.

"Hey, man, better give up while you're still alive," a random patron called out.

"No, no, let him come. I could use the workout," and now Tenten slipped off her bar stool and turned to face her adversary. "So? I'm here, aren't I? Come and kill me."

Letting out a roar, the man charged at her with one fist drawn back—and recoiled as the girl's fist made full contact with his face, breaking his nose even further. As more blood spewed from his face and he howled in agony, he was unprepared for the barrage of iron-like punches to his ribs, stomach and mouth. Tenten then drew her arm back and flung a final punch to the man's jaw, smashing it and sending him spinning before landing heavily on the ground once more.

"Gee, for somebody who just said he was going to kill me, you're not doing a very good job of it," Tenten remarked, shaking her head.

Two patrons got up from their table and dragged the now-unconscious man outside, while Tenten settled back on her stool. "Sorry about that," she addressed the bartender.

"Hey, no biggie. At least you didn't destroy the bar this time; that's an improvement," and the bartender allowed himself a chuckle.

"You're never gonna let that go, are you? I SAID I was sorry, didn't I?" Tenten asked, sounding hurt.

Chuckling again, the bartender turned away to serve another customer. Sighing, Tenten went back to sipping her drink—and casually glanced to one side. "You weren't there a while ago. Can I help you?"

The person she was addressing was a dark-haired girl with a small smirk on her face. "A chick with her hair worn in two buns…yep, that's definitely gotta be you, all right," the newcomer remarked. "My pals and I have been looking for you all day. Can we talk?" and she gestured toward a table near the back of the room, where two boys, a spiky-haired guy and another guy with his face partially concealed by bandages, looked on expectantly.

Tenten scoffed and sipped her drink again. "Sorry, I don't do kinky stuff like that."

The other girl laughed a little. "No, no, that's not it," she said. "We're looking for a fighter…and we hear you're the best around. Somebody who knows how to own a battlefield. Somebody whose fists are spoken of with respect. We hear you're just the person who fits those criteria."

Again Tenten sipped her drink…but now in her eyes there was a flash of interest.

**OoOoO**

"You're sure? The youth center doesn't have kickboxing classes here?" Lee asked.

The manager shook his head. "Sorry, son," he replied. "We've got regular boxing here, sure, and aerobics, and basketball, the usual stuff…but nothing like kickboxing or karate or anything like that."

"Oh, okay," said Lee. "Then maybe you'd know if a certain girl has been here lately? She'd be about my age, slight Chinese look, brown hair, and she wears her hair in two buns all the time."

Again the manager shook his head in the negative. "Nope, nobody like that has been here," he answered. "I'd definitely remember a face like that, if any girl of that sort was a regular."

"Thanks," said a disappointed Lee, turning and walking away from the manager. He exited the building and looked across the road, where Neji was leaning against the fence with arms folded.

"Well?" Neji asked as Lee hurried over to him.

"They don't have kickboxing classes here, and the manager doesn't remember Tenten ever coming here as a regular patron," Lee reported.

"Then where _is_ she? And what's she been doing?" Neji wondered aloud.

**OoOoO**

"I see…so you're hiring me to fight a guy for you," said Tenten, sipping her drink as she studied her three new table-mates. "Any reason why you couldn't do it yourselves?"

"Well, we did—but he proved to be far tougher than we'd initially given him credit for," said Dosu. "Therefore, we decided to seek out someone who's earned their stripes in the fighting business—and that's where you come in."

"Hmm." Temari lifted an eyebrow. "This fellow…how strong is he?"

"He beat up our whole gang! All by himself! And he didn't even get a single scratch on himself when he did it!" Zaku said enthusiastically.

"…that's all?" Tenten looked skeptical.

"What do you mean, 'that's all'?" Kin asked incredulously. "We practically had him twenty to one! And he still managed to beat us all!"

Tenten drained the last of her drink. "That's not describing how strong someone is. That's describing how weak you are."

"WHAT?" Zaku and Kin jumped up, ready to fight—only to be on the floor seconds later, nursing exaggeratedly-huge and steaming lumps on their heads, swirls in their eyes and foam coming out of their mouths.

"Case in point…" Tenten waved her hand dismissively.

"Hey, now, just keep cool and hear me out—never mind my idiot associates," said Dosu. "Now, this guy…there's something very important about him that we think you should know, before you commit to accepting our offer."

"Uh-huh. And what exactly makes this guy so special?" Tenten asked.

Dosu glanced around, as though checking for eavesdroppers. Then he motioned to Tenten to come closer. "That time, when he fought our gang…" His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "Back then, our boss, Mizuki-sama, was telling everybody that he was a former member of that Kyuushingai group, and everybody was in a panic as a result."

"Eh? You guys were employed by Mizuki?" Tenten's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah, I remember all that. But then he got busted, and confessed to being a fraud. So?"

"So…the guy responsible for busting our gang…" Dosu's gaze narrowed. "That day, he said something very interesting. He said…that **he** used to be in the Kyuushingai, and that he went by the name of Kurama the Fox."

Tenten's eyes widened at that last bit of information. _Kurama…the Fox?_

Zaku and Kin were now picking themselves up from off the floor. "Hey, looks like we've gotten your attention now," Zaku remarked.

"This…Kurama guy…what am I looking for?" Tenten asked slowly.

Kin tossed her hair back with one hand. "Blond hair…whisker-like marks on his face…"

Tenten's eyes narrowed. _Can't be…Naruto?_

"So?" Dosu eyed her.

Silence hung in the air between them. Then, ever so slowly, a smirk appeared on Tenten's face. "So…a genuine member of the Nine Terrors, huh…that should definitely be a more interesting fight than the bar brawlers and street punks I've had to put up with these last few weeks."

Dosu, Zaku and Kin looked at each other and smiled. "All right, then," said Dosu. "Now, about payment…"

**OoOoO**

Lee and Neji trekked up the hill to the Hyuga mansion, both tired out from all the walking they'd had to do a few hours previously. "So…we've scoured pretty much all the possible places Tenten could possibly hang out at after school," Lee remarked. "But up to now, nothing…"

"Well, the only other option now is to wait until tomorrow, when we see her at school, and find out what's going on," said Neji. "Little more that we can do tonight."

"_You_ might not be able to do anything more because you have to be at home now, but I'm not going to stop searching around," Lee said with determination in his eyes.

"What—do you intend to turn the entire Konoha Town upside down?" Neji looked at Lee out of the corner of his eye. "Let the matter rest for now. What Tenten does outside of school isn't our business, after all, and the worst we've seen is that she slept in class. It could very well be nothing, after all."

"I don't know if I can just let it rest like that." Lee looked uneasy. "Neji-san…Tenten is someone I see as a precious friend, and I'm sure you feel the same way. Whatever it is that is causing her to be so worn down in the days, it cannot go on. If we don't do something now, she may collapse unexpectedly one day, and of what use will she be to herself after that?"

"Lee." Neji's tone halted Lee's emotion. "If you run yourself ragged all night tonight, you won't be of much use to anybody, least of all Tenten. Go home. We'll definitely see her tomorrow. I'm sure of it."

Lee sighed. "I guess you're right…all right, then. In that case, I'll see you both tomorrow." He waved a farewell as he turned and headed back down the hill.

Neji watched Lee's departure for a moment. _One thing about that guy…he's definitely determined when it comes to what he considers most important._ Such were the Hyuga's thoughts as he now turned and walked the rest of the way toward the mansion.

**OoOoO**

A few hours later, elsewhere in Konoha Town…

Tenten was back at home, and was now in the shower. Off to one side, her clothes and sneakers were cast down, while she herself let the heat of the water envelop her skin. Her hair, now no longer set in the usual two buns, hung loosely down her back, wet from the last ten minutes of exposure to the steaming-hot water. Slowly, somewhat idly, she caressed her lightly-tanned skin with the bar of soap she held in one hand, letting it slide over her figure, well-toned from her nights of beating up unwitting punks in the back-alleys and dark corners of Konoha Town's less reputable underbelly. The water droplets coursed down her body, emphasizing her muscular curvature in the light of the bathroom's bulb shining overhead.

By and by, setting the bar of soap down into its dish at the side of the shower-wall, she took a bottle of shampoo and squirted a generous amount into her palm. Moments later, her hair was lathered in suds and bubbles as she worked the shampoo down to her scalp; as she did this, the squirting showerhead rinsed the soap suds off the front of her body.

But while her fingers worked slowly, her mind was working at a mile a minute.

_So…Uzumaki Naruto…are you truly one of the Kyuushingai? If so…if so, will I get that challenge I've been longing for? And…will I be able to fulfill my soul's desire, after all this long time?_

She stepped back directly under the showerhead's blast, allowing the hot water to soak into her curls once again to get rid of the shampoo suds.

_The beginning of this year has made it three years since the Kyuushingai's reign of terror started across these cities. The end of this year will mark the third anniversary since they vanished into the mists of time and their bloody rampage came to an abrupt end. The nine most powerful and most dangerous people this land could have ever witnessed…insane strength and power at their disposal…_

The shampoo and soap suds were gone from her skin and hair by now, but she remained beneath the water a while longer, allowing its heat to coat her body once more.

_Uzumaki Naruto…I was already impressed with how you handled yourself against Inuzuka Kiba, but…to think you could be one of the Nine Terrors from back then…that changes everything significantly._

Tenten finally turned off the water…but still she remained standing in the shower, looking up at the showerhead with a determined expression.

_A fight with you…Uzumaki Naruto…to fulfill my desire…that is a fight I will have, without fail!_

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 13

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: To be honest, when I was writing this last scene I didn't have any particular inspiration in mind…but then Chun Li's shower scene from _Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie_ came to mind. And considering that the TV Tropes website basically describes Tenten on the _Naruto _character page as a Chun Li expy…enjoy, Tenten fans.

On another note, I've recently gotten a comment that says this story has a _Baki the Grappler_ and _Tenjho Tenge_ feel to it, as well as a mention of _BlazBlue. _For the record, I definitely did not have the first two in mind at all when I came up with this story's premise, and I've never even seen _BlazBlue_ so I can't really say for sure. I can say that some portions of this plot so far have been influenced by _Rurouni Kenshin,_ and there will be traces of _Trigun_ influence in the story much later down the line. As to what exactly that all entails…well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you all?

P.S.: I could easily see Orochimaru as a lawyer. He's definitely got the personality for it.

Chapter 14 is coming up next!


	14. Preparation

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 14: Preparation**

A few days passed. Then it was Friday.

"This is the third day…she hasn't been to school for three days, now," Lee said worriedly.

He and Neji were just packing up their books to leave their mid-morning class for lunch, when the comment was made. "I'm really worried now…could something have happened?" Lee continued.

"It's definitely strange," Neji agreed. "Tenten isn't one to miss school without a good reason…could she have been sick all along, and we didn't know?"

"With all these instances of her coming to school tired and lacking in youthful vigor, maybe so," said Lee. "Maybe we should drop by her house after school today and see what's going on."

"Do you even know where she lives?" Neji asked skeptically. "I know _I've_ never been to her house before…"

"Mmm-mmm," Lee shook his head. "Ever since we all ended up in the same class together this year, she's always been a pretty private person. Although she hasn't kept her thoughts about you nearly so private, Neji-san…" He chuckled.

"Ignoring that for the moment," Neji ground out from between his teeth, "how best can we find out where she might be?"

Lee thought for a moment. "You know, the school should have contact information for all students and their relatives in case of an emergency," he noted. "Maybe we could get Tenten's home address from the records' office!"

"That's an idea," Neji agreed. "All right—I'll go there now and get the address. They surely won't refuse it from me, as the student council president, since one of my schoolmates has been absent three days in a row without contacting anyone."

"Yosh! And while you do that, I'll check with our homeroom teacher to see if Tenten's been in contact with her at all!" Lee added.

"Then it's decided. Let's get to it!" Neji nodded.

**OoOoO**

"…and that's the situation, Terumi-sensei," Lee ended his exposition for his homeroom teacher. "We're very worried about Tenten…we were hoping she might've been in contact with you, seeing as you took the contact numbers for all of us in the class at the start of the school year."

Terumi Mei, an attractive woman with green eyes and long reddish-brown hair, shook her head. "I am sorry, Lee-kun, but I've heard nothing from her either," she apologized. "I can give you the number she submitted to me, though, if you wish to contact her. Already she'll have missed out on a number of her classes since Wednesday, and that is not good when nobody knows if she's sick or what."

"I understand," said Lee. "I have been taking notes for the classes she and I share, so I can give them to her when next I see her. Neji-san has been doing the same thing, for the classes he has together with her."

Mei nodded. "I approve of your initiative. It's clear you care about your schoolmate's well-being," she said. "If you boys learn anything, be sure to let me know. Now, where did I put that list of phone numbers…"

**OoOoO**

"So you wish to have this young lady's home address in order to check on her, is that it?" Danzo inquired of Neji.

"That is so, Shimura-sama," Neji affirmed. "As I'm sure her record must indicate, she's always been a student of high caliber…but recent events concerning her have gotten me worried, both as her classmate and as student council president. That there has been no known contact from her over the past few days is even more troubling."

"That is reasonable," said Danzo. "Very well, I will have my secretary search for the girl's records momentarily." He pressed a button on his desk. "This is Principal Shimura. Please locate the school records and contact information for a student named Tamura Tenten, and bring them in here at once."

Neji nodded. "Thank you for your assistance, Shimura-sama."

"Indeed," said Danzo. "By the way, Neji-kun, while you're still here…"

"Eh?" Neji looked curiously at the principal.

Danzo intertwined his fingers under his chin. "I got back word from Uzushio High School this morning…concerning the record of Uzumaki Naruto. They have promised to e-mail me the full details behind the reason for his transfer by this afternoon. I just figured you should know."

"Ah, I see," Neji nodded.

Danzo's face remained unsmiling. "Another thing…it seems, Neji-kun, that you pulled a rather underhanded plan to get Uzumaki before me, or worse, before the chief of police. It was fairly ingenious, I will allow, even if it was ultimately a failure."

"…" Neji kept his tongue.

"Come now, boy, don't look at me like that. You know I'm referring to you setting up Inuzuka Kiba to fight Uzumaki on Monday." For the first time, a slight smirk tugged at the corner of Danzo's mouth. "If Inuzuka-kun got injured by Uzumaki's hand during that brawl, then Police Chief Inuzuka herself would get directly involved…Uzumaki would get a juvenile criminal record…and that would adversely affect his tenure here at Konoha High School. Now, I realize that, ostensibly, it would have been provoked by his vague transcript record from Uzushio High School…but could it, perhaps, also have a personal flavor to it? Perhaps…his little incident with your cousin…?"

Neji remained silent, but his jaw tensed ever so slightly. Danzo noticed it. "Now, Neji-kun, you think I don't listen to your fellow students' gossip and shop-talk from time to time? I wouldn't be as effective a principal if I didn't know what was happening under my nose, now would I?" the older man asked. "Although, do tell…are you still holding a grudge that things didn't turn out how you'd hoped?"

Neji's eyes narrowed a little. "My duty to uphold the integrity of our institution, as student council president, must take precedence over all other things. If Uzumaki Naruto's presence here will create a stain on Konoha High School, then I must do all I can to curtail it. That is all."

"How professional of you." The smirk disappeared from Danzo's face. "Be that as it may, I shall advise you to hold off on taking any further action until I have received Uzushio High School's next response pertaining to that boy. Depending on what they have to say, I will advise you on the next step to take."

"Hmm. I understand, Shimura-sama," Neji nodded assent.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by the secretary's entrance a moment later. "Shimura-sama, here are Tamura-san's records, as you requested," the woman said, shuffling a set of papers in her hand and giving them to the principal.

"Thank you," Danzo nodded, and the woman left. He then examined the information in his hands. "Hmm. Now, Neji-kun, about your classmate…"

**OoOoO**

That afternoon, after school had let out for the day…

"Neji-san, you're sure this is the address that was on Tenten's file?" Lee spoke into his cellular phone as he stood outside an admittedly dingy-looking apartment building. "The place looks pretty undeveloped…"

"_Yes, Lee, I'm positive that's the right address,"_ Neji spoke on the other end of the line with a longsuffering sigh. _"Just go inside and ask the building's manager for Tenten, that's all. It shouldn't be that hard."_

"Well, I'm just sorry you couldn't come with me to see for yourself what it looks like," said Lee.

"_That's just how it goes when you have an uncle like mine—Friday evenings are his designated 'family night,' since he gets off from work earlier today than in the rest of the week, so no exceptions,"_ said Neji. _"Just let me know what you find out, that's all. This is the only avenue left, after all—the number she gave to Terumi-sensei has been going right to voicemail since we tried it."_

"Got it," said Lee, and he hung up the phone. "All right…let's go in, then!"

Steeling himself, he headed for the building's front doors and pushed them open. Immediately he was treated to the view of a stout, middle-aged man at the front desk, chewing bubble gum and reading a gossip tabloid. "Can I help you?" the man asked without looking up from his magazine.

"Er, yes," Lee replied. "I'm looking for a girl who lives here—Tamura Tenten. She's a classmate of mine at Konoha High School."

"Lots of girls who go to that school live here. Better be more specific," the man said in a flat tone.

"Uh, Chinese look? Brown hair? Wears her hair in two buns most of the time?" Lee supplied.

The man's eyes widened slightly. "Ah, you mean the panda-girl!"

"…panda-girl?" Lee blinked, and then considered the nickname. "Then again, with hair like that, I guess I can see why you'd call her that…"

"Well, she hasn't been here since Wednesday morning," the desk clerk informed him. "She said she was going on a little out-of-town trip—didn't say where, or when she'd be back, though."

"What? Tenten just took a trip all on her own? But that means she's skipped school for three days now! Do her parents know about this?" Lee exclaimed.

"Her parents?" The clerk cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're her schoolmate, buddy?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lee demanded.

The man shook his head. "Panda-girl's been living here on her own almost three years now. Or didn't you know?"

"…on her own…?" Lee was taken aback at that information. "Then where are her parents in all this? Or any other relatives?"

The desk clerk shook his head again, this time putting down the gossip tabloid. "You really don't know her that well, do you, if you're asking those kinds of questions," he said quietly. "I don't know what she's told you or your school, but I know what she had to explain to me when she first came here, and I had to do background checking to make sure her story was straight, just like the building manager says I have to do with every tenant who's coming to live here. And as long as she was able to meet her rent, we wouldn't have any problems, and so far, she's been doing pretty all right."

Lee blinked in consternation—this was definitely not information he'd expected to learn about Tenten. "Go on."

**OoOoO**

A day passed. Soon it was Saturday evening, the sun slipping into the distance as the sky darkened. Night life took over the daily activity that had preceded it. Families came together for their traditional Saturday night activities, couples went out on dates, and traffic filled the streets even as pedestrians came and went through the town square.

And in one house, one girl was not happy.

"DAMN IT!" Kin exploded, tossing an empty soda can against the wall. "This makes the fourth day we haven't heard from that chick since we talked to her Tuesday night! Where the hell is she?"

Not far away from where Kin was sitting, Zaku and Dosu were sitting together on a couch playing video games, their eyes focused intently on the TV screen in front of them. The house they occupied was filled with trash and food wrappers, dirty clothes were thrown here and there, and cobwebs and dust filled the corners, but the occupants didn't seem to notice, or, if they did, they ignored it. "C'mon, c'mon, shoot the damn Hadoken already!" Zaku snapped at the TV screen, his thumbs working his game controller relentlessly.

"Oh, no, you don't! Ooooooh—FIRE!" Dosu yelled in sync with his video game character, as Zaku's game character got engulfed in flames.

"Aw, come on! My controller must be busted!" Zaku glared accusingly at the device.

"Okay, wanna switch controllers, then?" Dosu challenged.

"You're on!" Zaku eagerly swapped controllers with the other youth.

"ARE YOU IDIOTS EVEN LISTENING TO ME?" Kin screeched.

"Oh, come on, what do you want _us_ to do about it? It's not like we know where that girl is, either," Zaku protested, turning to look at his fuming companion.

"Grr…" Kin folded her arms over her chest and scowled. "Don't tell me she decided to turn coward and run away after all…"

"No. She's not that type of person," Dosu said seriously. "You saw how she reacted when we told her who her prospective opponent was. That girl isn't about to run from this kind of fight."

"Then how come she's just vanished?" Kin grumbled.

"Maybe she just needs time to prepare—this isn't just some regular punk she's going to challenge, you know," Zaku pointed out.

"All right, fine. Let's assume she IS preparing to fight the guy. What do you think her chances are?" asked Kin.

"Honestly?" Dosu eyed her. "About the same as Zaku beating me at this game."

"WHAT!" Zaku snapped at him with fangs in his mouth.

"Okay, let's be serious, then," said Dosu. "Tenten might be a hardy street fighter, but this is one of the Kyuushingai we're talking about here—people who could burn cities to ashes, and that's talking about when all of them were active at the same time. Just one of them alone could overpower even the toughest fighter, and this'll be no different."

"But if that's true, then what was the point of hiring Tenten to fight Kurama the Fox?" Kin demanded.

"**What was the point, indeed?"**

All three froze at the icy voice. "Wh-wh-who's there?" Zaku squeaked out.

Kin looked toward the front door and paled. "It's her…!"

Indeed, Tenten was standing in the doorway, leaning against the door-frame with a none-too-pleased expression on her face. "I'm very disappointed in you guys," she declared. "First you hire me to take down Kurama the Fox of the Kyuushingai, and then the next time I see you, you're all doubting that I have a snowball's chance against him. Where's your faith?"

"And where were YOU all these past few days?" Kin snapped at the other girl.

"I was out doing research," Tenten said casually. "If I'm going to be able to fight Kurama the Fox with anything resembling success, I have to know all I can about him, don't I? It's not as if I'm going to challenge some regular punk, you know."

"…how long were you out there listening to us?" Zaku asked timidly.

"Long enough, twerp," said Tenten.

"Hey, Tenten, please understand," Dosu said reasonably, "it's not that we don't believe you're a good fighter or anything. It's just, as we all agree, this isn't your average run-of-the-mill fighter you're going up against. Naturally, we should be concerned."

"Concerned? You three?" Tenten shook her head. "At least you could do better than that. I know your only concern is seeing that I finish this little contract you've hired me to do for you; what happens to me during or after it doesn't matter to you. It's always that way when it comes on to felons like you, right? Well, at least be grateful I haven't beaten you all to powder; it's very unprofessional to beat up someone who's going to pay you, after all."

"You…!" Kin flared up—but Dosu held up a hand to quiet her.

"All right, Tenten, we'll let you win this round. At least let us all understand that we're on the same page here. We want Kurama the Fox gone; you want to fight and defeat him. If you succeed—"

"I _will,"_ Tenten interrupted frostily.

"Then Kurama the Fox will be out of the picture and out of our hair, you'll get paid, and everybody in the business partnership is happy," Dosu went on as if he hadn't heard her. "Just as long as you remember that payment only comes after you deliver."

"Is that all you think—that I only want to do this for the money?" Tenten's gaze narrowed deeply. "I agreed to take this on because I want to fight this guy. I'm not going to back out now or ever. Just the fact that you've offered to pay me for it is just a side bonus, as far as I'm concerned."

"And we have no problem with that." Dosu nodded. "But I think we're all curious. You said you've been doing research—where DID you go these past three to four days?"

"I went to Kumo City—the place where the Nine Terrors were said to have started their first rampage at the beginning of the 365 days' chaos," Tenten said casually. "Along the way, I stopped in Yu City and Shimo City as well, and I spent a good amount of time learning as much as I could about the Kyuushingai. Quite a few folks in the seedier sections of all three cities were able to confirm that a guy matching your description of Kurama the Fox was seen in their areas during that year of activity."

"Then you got independent confirmation that that is in fact Kurama the Fox?" Dosu asked, sounding quite interested.

"I didn't say that," Tenten clarified. "The people in Kumo, Yu and Shimo Cities only confirmed that a blond fellow with whisker-marks on his cheeks was present in their cities around the time of the Kyuushingai's activities there…they didn't actually say he, specifically, was identified as Kurama the Fox. However, I did hear a few rumors here and there in those places that someone indeed called 'Kurama the Fox' was associated with the Kyuushingai. A lot of the info of what actually happened back then was jumbled and mixed up with hearsay, you know."

"So, what's your next move, then?" asked Dosu.

"Well, seeing as I just got back into town, for tonight I'm going to rest…I just figured I should come by and let you guys know where the action's going to be, if you want to come and watch," said Tenten. "You did give me this address to come find you to give you updates, when we were negotiating on Tuesday."

"Yeah, we did," Dosu admitted. "All right, fair enough, so you're going to rest tonight…then tomorrow's the challenge, yes?"

"You got it," said Tenten. "You know the waterfall next to the old demolished statue of Konoha Town's first mayor, on the east side, right? Be there tomorrow evening at 5:00, and keep yourselves hidden. That's where you'll see Kurama the Fox beaten down into the dirt."

"Now that's what I wanna hear!" Kin grinned.

"Just…one little thing, okay?" said Tenten.

"Yeah, sure—what is it?" Zaku asked her.

Tenten leveled her gaze on the trio. "I know you're the ones who've hired me to do this…but the fight is mine to deal with. Don't go butting in. Just sit back and watch the festivities."

"That's cool," said Dosu. "Better to leave something as heavy-handed as this to you, the pro, right?"

Tenten nodded. "All right. Now that your confidence in me is restored, I'm going home to crash until tomorrow. See you guys around." And with that, she turned and walked away from the door, and shortly afterward she was heading out to the street.

Dosu leaned on the door frame and watched Tenten's departure, waiting to be sure she was really leaving. Then, shutting the door, he turned to the other two. "She's definitely prepped to fight him, all right."

"Then she has a chance of winning, contrary to what you said before," Kin said smugly.

Dosu glared. "Like hell she does."

"Huh?" Kin blinked.

"Even with all the prep time in the world, do you think a regular street brawler like her, no matter how good she is, could stand up to someone like _that?"_ Dosu demanded. "She might put up a fight, sure, but someone as fast and strong as Kurama the Fox isn't going to go down from a few punches. Even Mizuki-sama couldn't handle that guy in straight-up hand-to-hand combat—why should a chick like Tenten expect to do any better?"

Zaku palmed his forehead in annoyance. "Well, then, it's like what Kin asked before Tenten got here. What's the point of having hired her if she won't be able to win anyway?"

"Both of you, sit down and listen to me a minute," Dosu said sternly. On seeing his two friends comply, he went on, "Now, she might not be able to win, but a person with a fighter's mentality won't admit defeat just like that. And with her level of fighting experience, she should at least be able to injure Kurama the Fox, maybe break a couple of his bones or cut him or something. That's when we'll act."

"We?" Kin repeated.

"But, Dosu, you promised Tenten—" Zaku began.

"I know what I said, doofus, but that was just for her benefit," Dosu snapped. "Our objective is to take revenge on Kurama the Fox, isn't it? Kyuushingai or not, at the end of it all he's still just a human being. And, like any human being, even a Kyuushingai…" His voice lowered. "…can die."

"Well…yeah…but what're we going to do, in that case?" Kin inquired.

"It's simple, isn't it? All we have to do is watch and wait until Tenten inflicts an injury to that guy that will at least slow him down…and then we'll swoop in and kill him on the spot, and then get rid of her so we don't have any eyewitnesses left over." Light flashed in Dosu's visible eye. "And if, by some miracle, Tenten manages to win, then we can just jump right in and kill both of them while they're weak. Either way, we get rid of our enemy, we get rid of an eyewitness, and we don't have to pay Tenten a red cent at the end of it all."

"Yeah…yeah, I get what you're saying. That sounds like a decent plan, all right!" Zaku grinned.

"Oh, it's beyond decent—it's foolproof," Dosu replied, "and the fact that that dumb girl gave us the venue early just makes it even easier to plan how we're going to pull this off." He motioned to Zaku and Kin to draw closer to him. "Now, listen…here's what we're going to do…"

**OoOoO**

Tenten walked slowly among the crowds, heading back to her apartment. Her eyes were focused, full of concentration, as she fixated on her destination. "Tomorrow…" she whispered.

At length she arrived outside her building—and stopped. "You're…"

Lee was leaning on the wall just outside the apartment building's entrance, his hands in his pockets. "You've come home, Tenten," he said simply. "I was beginning to wonder how long it would be before I saw you again."

"How long have you been here?" asked Tenten.

"Every day since you failed to show up at school on Wednesday." Lee looked right at her. "I heard your story from the desk clerk inside…"

"Really, now." Tenten scoffed. "So what?"

"Tenten…I can't say I understand what happened in the past…but Neji-san and I have been worried about you." Lee approached her. "We might only have known each other a few months, but we're your schoolmates still. You don't have to carry this burden all by yourself. Let us help you."

Tenten didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, quietly, she reached forward and placed a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Lee…you're quite a kind-hearted person, and your intentions are in the right place. I acknowledge that you've gone out of your way to do what you believe is best, and for that I thank you."

"Tenten…" said Lee.

The next thing he knew, he was gasping and doubling over as Tenten's other hand formed into a fist and found its way into his stomach. Collapsing to his knees, Lee clutched his midsection for the pain, while Tenten stood over him, her fist trembling.

"However…" Tenten's tone was steely. "Don't think that because we've been in the same class for a few months, that that makes us friends or anything of the sort. Because, really and truly, you know **nothing **about me. Nobody does. So don't act as if you do. Now do me a favor and go home." And with that, she walked into the building, leaving Lee writhing on the ground.

"Ungh…Tenten…" Lee flinched from the lingering pain as he managed to reach into his pocket for his cell-phone.

**OoOoO**

The Hyuga family was just getting up from dinner. "Kabuto-san, that filet mignon was superbly done," Hinata addressed the butler. "You and the cook must show me just how you do it sometime."

"You're too kind, Hinata-sama, but really, all we've done is to prepare and serve it for you," Kabuto chuckled, adjusting his glasses a little.

Suddenly, a cell-phone rang loudly. As everyone looked at one another, Neji reached into his pocket. "My apologies…it's my phone," he informed them.

"You should remember our rule about phones at the table, Neji," said Hiashi, giving his nephew a disapproving look.

"It was my own neglect, Uncle. I shall be more careful in future. Excuse me." Neji quickly walked away from the others and checked the caller-ID on the phone; scowling, he answered it. "Yes, Lee, what is it? You're lucky you caught me just when we finished having dinner here," he growled in a low tone.

"_N…Neji-san, it's Tenten…she's c-come home," _Lee answered on the other end, his statement punctuated with a cough.

Neji frowned. "Lee, are you all right?"

"_Tenten…she punched me in the gut,"_ Lee explained, his voice slightly stronger. _"Said to stay out of her business."_

"…is that so…" Neji's frown got deeper. "All right; at least now we know she's back home. First thing tomorrow morning after breakfast, I'll meet you there at her place, and then we'll straighten this whole thing out. For now, you go home and rest up."

"_Yeah, sure," _said Lee. _"Just don't let her use her fists on you. She's got a mean right uppercut."_

Neji couldn't resist. "At least be thankful it wasn't a crotch shot."

"_Ha, ha. Real funny."_

**OoOoO**

Unaware of what her hirers were plotting, or of what her schoolmates intended to do, Tenten lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. The lights were out in the room, but the lights from the street outside shone brightly enough to cast illumination through her apartment window. And her expression had not changed from when she'd punched Lee in the gut earlier.

_So I've confirmed you, Uzumaki Naruto…no, Kurama the Fox. That being the case…_

She got up from the bed and walked over to her closet, opening it and stooping down to access the floor inside. She lifted up a floorboard—and there was a large box.

_Finally…a chance to use my full arsenal._

With some effort, she hefted the box out of its hiding place and set it beside her. Opening it, she beheld what was inside. Her expression changed ever so slightly, to her eyebrows furrowing more deeply…but that was all.

_Tomorrow._

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 14

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: As you will notice, I've decided to give Tenten a surname, for the purposes of this story. The name Tamura is taken from Yukari Tamura, Tenten's seiyuu (voice actress) in the Japanese anime.

Now, next chapter—what exactly is Tenten's story, according to how Lee got it from the apartment building's desk clerk? What information is Danzo set to receive from Usuzhio High School, concerning Naruto? And what will happen in the inevitable showdown between Naruto and Tenten?

Chapter 15 is coming up next—with more of Naruto himself!


	15. Biker Babe

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 15: Biker Babe**

Sunday morning.

"Okay, Mom, Dad, the shop's cleaned up!" Ino called to the front entrance, setting the broom back in its place in the storage closet.

"Good!" her mother's mature voice called back. "We're opening up for business, then!"

Outside the store, Mrs. Yamanaka, a cool-faced lady with shoulder-length brown hair, gave a small smile as Mr. Yamanaka arranged several flower-pots by the open door. "Business should be good today…persons will be coming by to pick out flowers for every occasion," she remarked to him.

"As well as picking up the best vegetables for dinner," said Mr. Yamanaka with a grin.

Mrs. Yamanaka fondly caressed the petals of a nearby rose in full bloom, sitting in its vase amid other roses, on a display case by the store's window. "It's nice, isn't it…to be able to conduct business in peace, without that horrid Mizuki and his gang terrorizing the neighborhood…"

"Quite so," Mr. Yamanaka nodded in agreement. "And ever since we all claimed back these streets from him and his hooligans, business has begun to pick up again. It's almost as if everybody was making up for lost time."

Presently Ino came outside to join them, wiping her hands on her apron. "Anything else I can do?" she asked eagerly.

"Hmm, not that I can see for right now, but stay on standby just in case your mother wants any errands run," said Mr. Yamanaka.

"Well, actually, I do have one thing I'd like you to do for me, dear," Mrs. Yamanaka told Ino. "Would you be a dear and run on over to Akimichi Meats and make a delivery there for me? Mrs. Akimichi placed an order for four pounds of cabbage, three pounds of carrots and five pounds of potatoes, for the family's Sunday dinner today…and since we always buy our best meats from them, one good turn deserves another, you know?"

"Got it, Mom!" Ino nodded. "Just let me get the delivery bike ready, and I'll be good to go!"

**OoOoO**

Neji drove his dark-blue Porsche Boxster along the roadway, grateful for the fact that traffic in Konoha Town would be thinner today than during the rest of the week due to it being Sunday. On a day like today, people would normally take it slow and easy, lounging about at home or else going out for a morning or afternoon drive with family and loved ones. But for Neji, he wasn't doing this for relaxation's sake; he was on a mission.

Pressing his foot down ever so slightly on the gas pedal, he reveled in the feeling of speed and power that the car gave him. He'd received it as his birthday present when he'd turned 18, back in July, and had spent that whole summer practicing his driving technique until he could say with confidence that he was the best driver in the whole Hyuga household, perhaps even better than the family chauffer in terms of car handling. Not that he minded being driven around by someone else, but he liked to be able to handle the steering wheel all on his own and guide the vehicle as he saw fit, instead of merely giving instructions to a different party driving him around. The Boxster itself was a two-seater, not exactly conducive for family outings, but that suited Neji just fine—he preferred the solitude that the car's seating arrangement gave him. Plus Hiashi wasn't about to let Hinata or Hanabi ride in the passenger seat with Neji for a year, anyway, until he'd shown that he could handle the vehicle responsibly enough so as not to be the cause of a traffic mishap.

He kept his eyes sharp, letting nothing about the surrounding environment miss his gaze. After all, just because it was Sunday didn't mean there might not be some nutcase on the road who'd speed past a red light or do improper overtaking. Hands comfortably clutching the steering, he watched to see when he would arrive on the avenue where Lee had told him Tenten's apartment building was.

And speaking of which—he was now turning a corner and driving up to the building itself, with a clearly agitated Lee waiting on the sidewalk. "Oi, Neji!" Lee called to him.

Neji pulled over to the curb. "Have you been here long?"

"I just got here—just in time to see Tenten speed away on a motorbike," Lee informed him. "She was heading that way," he added, pointing up the street.

Off in the distance, Neji could indeed see the faint image of a motorcyclist racing away. "She sure seems in a hurry…wonder where she's going?" he asked aloud.

"And she had something wrapped in a blue cloth, strapped to her back," Lee added.

"Hmm." Neji nodded. "Hop in, Lee. We're going to do some shadowing today."

**OoOoO**

"Hello!" Ino called, her fist banging hard on the metal shutter that covered the _Akimichi Meats_ entrance. "Anybody home? I've got your delivery here!"

"Oi, oi, who's that this early in the morning?" a rough voice called from somewhere upstairs.

"It's me, Choza-san, it's Ino!" the girl called back. "Mom sent your family veggies over for your dinner today!"

"Ah, Ino-chan?" the voice was much more accommodating now, though still rough. "One sec, I'll send Choji down. Hey, Choji, Ino's here with our foodstuffs!"

Satisfied, Ino climbed off her bicycle and leaned it against the wall as she prepared to wait. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long; a moment later, a door a few feet away from the metal shutter opened, and out stepped Choji, munching on a sandwich. "Hey, Ino," he greeted her with a full mouth.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you talk with your mouth full," Ino shook her head in disgust. "How's everyone? Your dad sounds like he just woke up—it's after 9:30 now. That's pretty late to sleep in, even on a weekend."

"Eh, you know Pop," Choji shrugged. "When Akimichi Choza decides to sleep late, he's gonna sleep late. Not even Mom can get him up until he decides he's gonna get up."

Ino giggled. "He runs a meat store all week. I'd think he'd be entitled to a little sleep."

"Ah, well, now that he's up, he's gonna raid the fridge for any leftovers—and that's in addition to breakfast," said Choji. "But enough about Pop—what've you got here?" He eyed the vegetables in the little metal basket attached to the front of Ino's bicycle.

"Hey, don't get any funny ideas," Ino snorted. "Your mom will kill you if you eat any of these veggies before dinnertime."

"That's all right. I prefer my veggies in coleslaw, anyway," said Choji, taking the vegetables out of the basket. "But thanks for bringing them anyway."

The conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle engine approaching them. Turning, the two saw a chrome-polished Harley Davidson driving up to them, its rider wearing a helmet that covered her head, and also wearing a blue silk top beneath a black leather jacket, a tight-looking thigh-high skirt, and black boots. The rider also bore something on her back, wrapped in blue cloth. "Uh…" Choji began.

The rider rested both feet on the ground, balancing the bike in place, and pulled off her helmet to reveal her face and brown hair with two buns. "Excuse me…you're friends of Uzumaki Naruto, aren't you?" she inquired. "Could you direct me to his house, please?"

Choji and Ino looked at each other. "And you're…?" said Ino.

"Tamura Tenten's the name. I'm a senior at Konoha High School," the rider introduced herself. "I saw you guys with him the other day, after the incident with Inuzuka Kiba. I'd like to have a chat with him."

Ino eyed the burden on Tenten's back. "What's that you've got there?" she asked, nodding at the item in question.

"Just something I want to show Naruto-kun," Tenten said casually. "So, do you know where he lives?"

"Uh, yeah," and now Choji nodded his head in another direction. "His place is just up that way…it's a blue house."

"Thanks." Tenten put the helmet back on, gunned the motorcycle engine, and a moment later was gone.

"Hmm…" Ino narrowed her eyes in a frown.

**OoOoO**

"Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm," Kushina hummed to herself as she sliced pieces of meat on a cutting board in the kitchen. She then took up the meat and placed it in a container nearby, following which she sliced an onion into several tiny pieces and added the bits to the meat. Then she sprinkled black pepper and curry powder on the meat, after which she began to massage the seasoning into the food.

Not far away, Naruto was playing a videogame on the TV, furiously pressing buttons on his controller as, on the screen, the car he was controlling weaved past other cars and shot around corners at incredible speed. "Come on, come on," he grumbled. "Last lap…!"

The noise of a motorcycle engine outside caught the attention of both. "Eh?" Kushina glanced toward the door. "Naruto?"

"Yeah, Mom, I heard," Naruto grumbled, pausing his game and getting up to see what the matter was. "If they make me lose this race, so help me…"

Moments later he reached outside, and saw the motorcycle's rider getting off the bike and removing the helmet. "Uh, hi," he said uncertainly. "You lost, chick?"

The girl fixed him with a look. "You're Uzumaki Naruto, right? I've seen you around, at school."

"Who's asking?" Naruto inquired.

The girl reached a hand behind her to pat the strange concealed burden strapped to her back. "I'm Tenten. And I've come to challenge you to a fight."

Kushina, having come to the door by this time, gave Naruto an accusing look. "What happened, Naruto? Did the condom break or something?"

"VERY FUNNY, MOM!" Naruto snapped, angry fangs in his mouth.

"So you're his mother…" Tenten's voice caught Kushina's ear again. "Then I will presume you know about what your sin's been up to in his life. And before you make another tasteless joke, no, we're not intimate."

"Ah—sorry, sorry, it really was in bad taste, wasn't it?" Kushina said sheepishly. "But what's that about challenging Naruto to a fight? Just what _did_ he do?"

"Hmm. Maybe I should rephrase." Tenten's eyes flashed. "It's not Uzumaki Naruto, exactly, that I'm here for. The one I want to fight…is Kurama the Fox of the Kyuushingai."

**OoOoO**

Just up the street from Naruto's house, Ino stopped her bicycle right at the corner and looked straight toward her blond schoolmate's dwelling. Sure enough, there was the motorcycle parked in his yard, and there was the girl biker standing on the front lawn, and there were Naruto and his mother on the porch. From the distance between her current position and the house, a good seventy feet or so, Ino clearly wouldn't be able to hear what they were saying to each other or even see their facial expressions…but she could see their bodily movements, and what she saw told her that both Naruto and Kushina were suddenly stiffening in response to whatever that Tenten person had just said to them.

_What's going on?_ Ino wondered to herself.

**OoOoO**

Further up the street, in the opposite direction from Ino, Neji's car was parked in an avenue opposite from Naruto's house, in an alley. Neji himself was sitting on the bonnet of the car, along with Lee, and where they were they could see the interaction between Tenten, Naruto and the red-haired lady pretty well, even if they couldn't hear what was being said. "Ah, so that's Naruto-kun's place…looks pretty nice," Lee commented, whistling appreciatively. "I wonder what business Tenten has with him…should we go and see?"

"No," Neji said flatly. "Let's just watch and see what comes of it for now. Meantime, I'm still concerned about that story you said the desk clerk at Tenten's apartment building told you about her."

Lee looked back at the other boy, immediately sober. "Yes…"

**OoOoO**

"_So…what about Tenten?" Lee asked the desk clerk._

_The older man sighed. "She lost both of her parents a while back. During the Kyuushingai chaos."_

_Lee's eyes widened. "Then…"_

"_It was Iwa City, northwest of here…in April, during that year." The clerk looked grim. "One of the first places the Nine Terrors struck was a soup kitchen, a couple of blocks from the local hospital. Tenten's old man was a paramedic…her mom worked as a live-in nanny for some rich family in the city. From what Tenten said, both of them were at the soup kitchen, helping out the local street kids like usual…then…nobody saw it coming. Explosions, gunfire, a bunch of people charging here and there, killing indiscriminately…it was all over the news that night…"_

"_And Tenten's parents?" Lee asked, though he was sure he wouldn't like what he was going to hear._

"_The mom was one of the first…somehow she got her…got her head taken right off during the attack." The clerk's fingers twitched. "The dad…he was hurt real bad…got skewered right through the chest. He lived a little longer, just long enough for them to get him to surgery." He looked away. "Tenten, poor kid…she didn't get called to identify their bodies till a week later, after the Terrors had already left the area. Eleven people died that day, plus another forty there and in the immediate area got all kinds of injuries from the attack. The papers couldn't even show the full extent of the carnage, it was THAT bad."_

"…_no…" Lee didn't know what else to say._

"_When Tenten first came here, she was pretty straightforward that she didn't have any remaining family; both parents were their families' only children, she said." The clerk leaned back in his chair. "After she told me about…what happened to her parents, I called the Iwa General Hospital and the police department to verify her story. That kind of loss…that devastation…there was no way she could fake any of it."_

"_But then, how's she been able to support herself all this time?" Lee demanded._

"_No clue, buddy. All I know for sure is that she's been getting a monthly fund from somewhere, to take care of her expenses. After finding out for myself that her story wasn't a scam, I didn't have the heart to poke my nose in much further; she's been through enough as it is." The clerk shook his head sadly. "I guess I should be counting my blessings that my own kids will never know what it's like to lose a parent in that kind of horror, but…after seeing someone who actually lost everything because of the Kyuushingai, up close and personal like that…I find it hard to be thankful when I know there's someone living in close proximity to me who's got nothing left to be thankful for."_

**OoOoO**

"…and that's what he said," Lee finished. "I tell you, Neji-san…every time I recall that conversation, it's like I'm hearing it for the first time, all over again."

"I believe you." Neji's face was set like stone. "So…that explains Tenten's living situation…but it still doesn't explain why she skipped school for three days. And why is she here visiting Naruto now, after having been gone for so long?"

Lee looked again at the ongoing meeting between Tenten and Naruto. "Do you…do you think maybe Naruto-kun was there, in Iwa City, at the time?" he ventured.

Neji scoffed. "I know we don't know much about Naruto-kun, but that's stretching it, Lee," he scolded his classmate. "Next thing, you'll be saying Naruto-kun was—"

The words died on his lips as a look of realization suddenly came over his face. "What is it, Neji-san?" Lee asked worriedly.

"…no…it must be coincidence…" Neji muttered.

**OoOoO**

"Kurama…the Fox?" Naruto repeated slowly.

"You seem surprised." Tenten crossed her arms over her chest. "After I was told about you, I had to go all the way to three cities—Kumo, Yu, and Shimo—to verify the story. I only got bits and pieces here and there, but put together, all the information matched up with what I was told about you. A young teenager, roughly 15 years old, who between two and three years ago was seen in every place where the nine-member group tore their bloody swath across the country. Blond hair, whisker-marks on the cheeks…and, like the Kyuushingai, this person vanished into thin air, and has presumably been under the radar for a long while since then…until his appearance here in Konoha Town under the name Uzumaki Naruto."

Kushina spoke up, her voice soft but having a razor-edge that was hard to miss. "What you've said only indicates that my son was in the same places as the Kyuushingai. It doesn't indicate he was actually WITH the Kyuushingai."

Tenten looked directly at the older woman. "You want to protect your son. That's natural for a mother to do. But are you going to fight his battles for him too?" and her body tensed, as if preparing to attack.

"Mom…" Naruto held up a hand to his mother. "It's okay. Let me handle this." He turned back to Tenten. "Can I ask you one thing?"

"What is it?" Tenten returned, although her body relaxed only slightly.

Naruto's gaze was narrow; steely blue eyes bore into Tenten's face. "Who told you that I'm Kurama the Fox?"

"Does it matter?" asked Tenten. "Or are you going to deny it?"

"No. I won't deny it." Naruto's expression remained hard. "It's just that not a lot of people in this town are supposed to know about my past. And I can easily guess who, among the ones who do know, _didn't_ tell you about me, or wouldn't have any reason to do so. Which leaves one possibility." He pushed his hands into his pockets. "Was it Mizuki, the gang leader that got arrested the other day?"

"Heh. Good guess, but no. It was three of his goons; they've hired me to take you down." Tenten chuckled. "Of course, once I heard about who you really are, I was quite willing to get into this anyway, even if they didn't have any money."

"And why is _that?"_ Naruto pursued.

"What can I say? I like a good fight." Tenten cocked her head to one side. "For a good little while now, I've been aching for a better challenge than the occasional drunk bum who thinks he can get lucky. And if I can fight one of the Kyuushingai head-to-head, then who am I to back down from the challenge?"

Naruto didn't say anything for a moment. Then he spoke. "So…even if I say no…you're not going to just leave, are you?"

"Nope. I'll just keep coming back…and maybe even throw the first punch," said Tenten.

"Which will get you arrested for assault," Naruto pointed out.

A twinkle appeared in Tenten's eye. "I didn't say I'd throw the first punch at YOU, did I?"

"What're you saying?" Kushina demanded.

"It's very simple." Now Tenten's face bore a scowl. "If you refuse to fight me, Kurama the Fox, then I'll just go out of my way to provoke you until you eventually do. And I can easily provoke you through the people around you. The question is, who will it be first?" She cast another glance at Kushina. "Your mom, maybe? Or how about one of the kids you hang out with?" She put one hand akimbo on her hip. "Maybe I'll target that blond girl who was among your friends at the police station…she certainly would seem like an easy target…"

"NARUTO!"

All of them looked up at the sound of the shout, and were treated to the sight of an angry Yamanaka Ino pedaling her bicycle in their direction. "You again…" Tenten breathed.

"Ino!" Naruto called out.

Ino rode up till she was mere feet away from Tenten. "This girl was at Choji's family store, asking for directions to your house!" she exclaimed. "I thought she was being up to no good, so I decided to follow her. And it looks like my intuition was right!"

"Hmm. Perhaps my intuition was right, also," said Tenten. "Are you his girlfriend, by any chance?"

"Hell, no! I'm not Naruto's girlfriend! We're just friends!" Ino shouted at her.

"Eh, Ino-chan, you don't have to be so hotheaded about it…" Kushina waved a sheepish hand at the blond girl.

"Hmph." Tenten turned to Ino. "Do you even know who it is that you're friends with, girl?" she asked coolly. "In case you don't know, this boy is one of the nine people who caused all sorts of chaos and devastation across the region, over two years ago. Now, his mother being around him, I can kind of understand…but can YOU put your safety in his hands?"

Ino was unflinching. "I've done it twice already. And he's come to my defense both times."

"You don't say." Tenten smirked. "Then let's see if he'll come to your defense a third time!" and as the words flew out of her mouth, she turned and dashed at Ino, drawing her fist back for a punch and then throwing it forward—

—and her punch got caught in Naruto's palm. "You're attacking the wrong person," Naruto informed her, his gaze icy and his tone gravelly.

Tenten's brow furrowed. _I didn't even see when he moved…_ Quickly she pulled her fist out of Naruto's grasp and jumped back a few steps. "Heh…quick…and you CAN be provoked, after all," she remarked. "So? Are you going to accept the challenge? Or do I attack your mother next?"

"Leave everyone else out of this. It's me you want…so it's me you'll get." Naruto raised both fists in a fighting stance.

"No. Not here." Tenten shook her head. "On the east side of town, there's a worn-down statue of Konoha Town's first mayor, next to a waterfall. Be there this evening at 5:00, and then we'll have our little duel."

"Fine. 5:00, then," Naruto replied dourly.

"Good. I'll see you there, then." With that, Tenten got back onto her motorcycle and a short while later she roared off down the street.

Kushina ran toward Naruto and Ino. "Naruto, Ino-chan, are you all right?" she asked anxiously.

"Well, I'll live," Ino shook her head. "But…Naruto…"

"It's all right. I'll go and see her, if only so she won't come back and harass anyone else who's close to me just to make me fight her," said Naruto.

Ino looked away. "Sorry, Naruto…in the end, I was a target for you to save again…"

Naruto shook his head and patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Ino. That's what friends do for each other." He looked up the street where Tenten had ridden off. "But that girl…"

Kushina put a hand on her hip and harrumphed. "I can't believe she'd go that far to pick a fight with you…just because you're—" but suddenly she put a hand to her mouth and glanced at Ino.

"It's okay, Uzumaki-san…I already know," Ino assured her. "In any case, Naruto…can't you just call the police on her?"

"And what do I say to them? That a crazy girl attacked me because she wanted a chance to fight a former member of the Kyuushingai? I'm already practically walking on eggshells with the cops in this town; I'd rather stay out of their radar as much as I can," Naruto sighed. "No…better to just get this dealt with and out of the way."

"Naruto…" Kushina said softly.

**OoOoO**

"…whoa." Lee couldn't believe all that he'd just seen, even after Tenten had already ridden off.

Neji's eyes were narrowed deeply. "So, she provoked Naruto-kun into intercepting that punch she threw at the other girl…but why? Why would she do that?" He made a rude noise with his teeth. "Damn it, if only we could have been near enough to hear what they were saying clearly…!"

"What do you think, though?" Lee cocked an eyebrow. "The look on your face earlier…it seems something had crossed your mind. Care to share?"

Neji shook his head. "Not now. For now, we should follow Tenten."

**OoOoO**

Tenten rode along, her mouth set in a thin line, her hands maintaining a tight grip on her handlebars as the bike's engine throttled along and she was propelled forward on the roadway. Her burden on her back, unwrapped up to now, continued to stay where it was, attached by its strap, but for her it otherwise felt like a part of her body…until such time as it should be used later in the evening.

Truth be told, though, she was already feeling a pang of regret for having threatened Naruto's mother and blond friend, and then attacked the latter, just to make him accept her challenge. Still, she doubted an apology would fly with either of them, especially after she'd made her intentions concerning Naruto as clear as she had.

She decided she'd give the apology to him, instead...but only for _that._

Idly, she glanced in her rearview mirror. At once she saw, a good distance behind her, a dark blue Porsche driving at what seemed to be a leisurely pace. Her frown tightened and her grip on the handlebars became as steel. There was no way it was coincidence that Neji's personal vehicle would be out in the same neighborhood she was in at the exact same time, and with a fellow with such a recognizable haircut as Lee sported, sitting in the passenger seat, it was easy to figure out why they were in this section of the city together.

She'd always loved motorcycles and their practical uses as opposed to cars, hence her having gotten this one. She'd show the boys why she liked it.

**OoOoO**

"Neji…!" Lee started as, far up ahead, Tenten's motorcycle suddenly picked up speed and roared off.

"Damn it—she must've spotted us! Fasten your seatbelt!" Neji shouted as he slammed his foot on the accelerator. The Porsche's tires squealed on the road as the car seemed to shoot forward instantly.

"Whoa!" Lee cried, just barely managing to obey Neji's warning.

The motorcycle kept its distance ahead of the car, though, even as it rounded a corner at a dangerous angle. Cursing, Neji swung the car around said corner and drove after Tenten at breakneck speed, praying all the while that nobody who knew Hiashi would see him just now. Hiashi would never let him hear the end of it if word got back to the older Hyuga's ears.

The bike zipped along the street, taking the occasional sharp corner in an effort to throw Neji off; however, Neji would not be deterred and raced around the corners with equal tight movements, with one hand leaving the steering wheel every so often to work the gear-stick in calculated form. It was clear that Tenten was good at riding her motorcycle, though, as she maneuvered it as though the bike's body was molded with her own.

"What do you guys think this is, _Need for Speed?"_ Lee screamed, holding on to his door for dear life.

Presently Tenten rounded one more corner to go on a side-road—but as Neji closed in on that corner moments later and turned the car to follow his quarry, what he saw up ahead caused him to grit his teeth. "Fence…!" he exclaimed.

"Tenten, no!" Lee yelled out.

Both boys immediately noticed, however, that a section of the fence was bent forward from its placement in the ground all the way up to the top—and just then Tenten steered her bike onto that part of the fence and rode up it at high speed. The next thing the pursuers knew, she was flying over the top of the fence…seemingly pausing in midair to turn her head slightly and let go of one of the handlebars to flip them the middle finger…and then the bike landed heavily to the ground on the other side of the fence and turned onto the main street on that side before roaring off loudly.

"Whoa…" Lee blinked, staring at the fence as Neji swiftly braked the Porsche to a stop. "She's good."

"Crap!" Neji hissed under his breath in annoyance, hitting the steering wheel to emphasize the word.

Lee leaned back in his seat. "Whew…well, now what? She definitely knows we're trying to find her…no use going back to her apartment after this, huh?"

"No…no, none at all," Neji had to admit, even as he rested his forehead on the steering wheel in defeat. "But…" His brow furrowed in determination. "There _is_ one place we can go to get answers…back to Naruto's house. I want to know what the hell's going on, and he's going to tell me, one way or another."

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 15

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: Happy New Year, happy 2014, everyone!

Now, to address a couple of things: I've been recently told that Tenten is somewhat like Maki from the _Airmaster_ series. Hmm, another anime/manga that I hadn't had in mind…though I admit I HAVE watched the series partway. Also, there's been a fear expressed that I may not finish this story…and given that have ended two ongoing stories abruptly (though with some notes added to outline how the stories would have finished), it's understandable. But fret not—if life should be spared, I will do my best to finish this one…though I strongly suspect it'll be the last fan-fic I ever do. There are other things in my life that need to be done, after all, and they have to take greater priority.

One other thing: Persons will note that on this site, only signed reviews will be shown on my stories, although guest-reviews will go straight to my inbox. I had a bad experience with guest-reviewers flaming me back when I was writing _Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever,_ and I'd very much like to avoid a repeat of that, if at all possible. Therefore, I ask for your understanding.

Now, Chapter 16 is up next!


	16. Vengeance

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 16: Vengeance**

"You're really going to meet that girl later, then?" Ino questioned Naruto. "What was her deal, anyway? She looked as if she really had it out for you, if what she did and said is any indication."

"She wanted me—so she's going to get me, plain and simple," said Naruto.

"Naruto, maybe you should think this through—she said she was hired by that gangster's thugs to come pick a fight with you, didn't she?" Kushina asked fretfully. "What if it's a trap?"

"It's a chance I'll have to take, Mom. I can't afford to have her come back and target you or any of my friends just to rile me up," Naruto said with determination.

"Be careful, Naruto," said Ino. "It's the old statue by the waterfall on the east side, right? I'll get Shikamaru and Choji and meet you there later, just in case. If it IS a trap, those two will be able to help you handle things."

"All right, but stay out of sight when you get there—I don't want to scare Tenten off until I get to the bottom of this whole thing," said Naruto.

"Got it!" Ino nodded, and she hopped onto her bicycle and pedaled off.

Kushina watched as Ino rode away, then turned to look at Naruto. "Naruto…how much do your friends know about…"

"About Kurama the Fox?" Naruto finished for her. "Ino knows only that I was with the Kyuushingai, and I haven't gone into any specifics with her. I haven't told anybody else."

The sound of an approaching car slowing down right near their yard caught Kushina's attention. "Oh, what now?" she asked as she saw a dark blue Porsche Boxter pulling up.

Naruto turned to see who the car belonged to. "Eh? Neji?" he recognized the driver. "And who's your buddy with the fuzzy eyebrows?"

"Oi! The name's Rock Lee!" Fuzzy-eyebrows called out as he hopped out of the passenger seat. "And they're not fuzzy, they're youthfully large!"

"Uh…right…" Naruto blinked. "Anyway, what're you guys doing here?"

Exiting the car, Neji walked up to Naruto and Kushina. "Ma'am," he greeted the older woman with a slight bow. Then to Naruto: "We were tailing Tenten and followed her here. Then we tried tailing her again, but she gave us the slip…so we decided to come back here and talk to you."

"So you saw her here…" Naruto frowned. "Then you heard what she said to me?"

"No, we weren't close enough to hear; we didn't want her to know we'd followed her. Unfortunately, she caught on a short while ago and led us on a high-speed chase." Neji shook his head in disappointment. "Lee and I wanted to talk to her about the fact that she's been missing from school for the last couple of days, but now she clearly won't be willing to talk to us. So we decided to come back and ask you what's going on. Why was she here? What business does she have with you?"

Naruto was as blunt as Neji had been. "She just showed up here in our yard and said she was hired to fight me. She told me to meet her over on the east side this afternoon, at a statue next to a waterfall."

"Hired?" Lee and Neji asked together.

"Yeah. By a couple of that Mizuki guy's goons," said Naruto.

"Neji-san, this is getting out of hand—this is bigger than just Tenten, now," said Lee.

"Agreed," said Neji. "Naruto-kun, if Mizuki or any of his gangsters are involved, this should be a matter for the police."

Naruto scowled. "Number one, Neji, I've been closely watched by the cops here in town ever since," he gave a slight pause as he searched for a reason other than his Kyuushingai connection, "the whole issue with Aoi in town the other day. I really don't want to give them a reason to put me under house arrest. Number two, I gather that Tenten's your friend—do you really want her to get arrested for associating with known crooks?"

Neji scowled—that honestly hadn't occurred to him. "Your point is noted. So what will you do?"

"I'm going to meet her later." Naruto gave Neji a searching look. "Are you going to stop me?"

"Do I need to?" Neji asked.

"Neji-san, we've already seen that Tenten's determined to get what she wants out of this. Even if you somehow prevent Naruto-kun from going to see her, there's always the chance that she'll come back here," said Lee. "Or she'll go to someone Naruto-kun knows and…"

"Yes." Neji nodded. "Naruto-kun. I cannot promise that I won't get involved in this matter…but this is not an issue for any higher authority right now, so I won't try to stop you from meeting Tenten's challenge. Just answer me one question."

"And that is?" said Naruto.

Neji crossed his arms over his chest. "Why would Mizuki or his gangsters target you in the first place anyway? What have you done to them that they would seek revenge, directly or indirectly?"

Naruto's brow furrowed. "I ran afoul of them when I first came into town a few weeks ago. I'm not surprised that they'd hold a grudge ever since."

"Hmm." Neji considered the other boy's response.

Lee spoke up. "If that's true, Naruto-kun, then you should have someone to accompany you to the site to give you protection against a possible ambush."

"That's what Ino-chan proposed a while ago before she left," Kushina interjected. "She said she'll bring a few other friends to help out—but they'll stay out of sight just in case. If you boys want to help, I'd suggest the same thing, that you do so discreetly."

"Understood. We'll bear that in mind," said Neji. "As it is now, Naruto-kun…you should ready yourself for this afternoon. Based on what we saw, Tenten will not be minded to hold back if she's determined to challenge you."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

**OoOoO**

The hours passed. The sun slowly ran its course across the sky. And the time gradually came for the showdown.

Tenten sat on a rock a few feet away from the river that flowed from the base of a mountain, down from which the stipulated waterfall fell in heavy gallons. Not far away was a giant statue, cracked and weathered with age, with a worn bronze name-plate at its base, reading _Senju Hashirama, first mayor of Konoha Town, circa…_ although the date of the man's appointment had been worn off from the plate over time.

_Well, old man, you're going to be overlooking a major fight now,_ Tenten thought with some amusement as she looked up at the statue's face…and then her gaze turned somewhere else. "Ah."

A few meters away, Naruto was walking up the hill that led to Tenten's current position. He was clad in an orange jacket, which was zipped up at the front, and black jeans and boots, and on his face was a stern expression even as he walked with his hands in his trouser-pockets. Seeing his approach, Tenten stood up, her hand reaching for the string that held the blue-clothed burden on her back in place. "Glad to see you're on time," she remarked, stealing a glance at her watch. "It's just about 5:00 now. I'm happy you haven't chickened out of this."

"You flung a punch at my friend and threatened my mother. Why would I chicken out?" Naruto said pointedly.

"Yeah…well…I'll apologize for that," said Tenten. "I couldn't think of any other way to make you agree to this match. As it is, you're here now, at least."

"Yep." Naruto nodded. "So, how about we get this started? I'd like to be able to go home to dinner on time."

"Assuming you go home under your own power…or at all." Tenten undid the string, causing her burden to fall to the ground with a heavy _thud._ "Wondering what that is? That would be my weapons of choice for this fight," she explained. "Here, I'll let you see them."

Stooping down, she undid the blue cloth—and one of Naruto's eyebrows shot up, for now Tenten stood up with a morning-star club in each hand, each weapon consisting of a spiked ball on an iron staff. "A pair of clubs, huh?" Naruto queried. "Those look like the type of weapons you'd see in medieval warfare."

"Ancient-looking, I know, but I've always been interested in exotic weaponry like that," said Tenten. "I started collecting these kinds of weapons as something of a hobby."

"Is that so…well, I didn't carry any weapons with me. I don't need them." Naruto put his fists up in a fighting gesture. "Just me, myself, and I should be enough."

**OoOoO**

Atop the waterfall, far above Naruto's and Tenten's heads, Dosu, Zaku and Kin lay down on the ground and looked out over the edge at the confrontation below. "Good vantage point you picked out, Dosu," Zaku whispered.

"Yeah, and there's a little hill right here, too," added Kin, looking over at a small slope to their right that led down to the clearing below, "so that when they've beaten each other up enough, we can go down there and finish the job."

"A foolproof plan, indeed." Dosu chuckled. "Now, we wait and watch…and when Tenten and Kurama the Fox beat each other down to size, then it'll be our turn."

"To do what, exactly?"

The trio started at the sound of the unfamiliar voice right behind them—but suddenly three feet stomped down on their heads, pinning them to the ground. "Ugh—! Who the hell…!" Zaku demanded.

"Good job, guys," the new speaker announced. "The Ino-Shika-Cho trio has done it once again!"

"How troublesome, Ino," another voice complained. "You dragged me out of my house for THIS?"

"But it's just like she said, Shikamaru—there's Naruto down there with that Tenten chick!" a third voice spoke up.

"Keep your voice down, Choji," Ino scolded him. "We don't want to alert them that we're up here. All we have to do is keep these three from interfering, and everything's going to be fine."

"Grr…" Kin growled low in her throat, despite Ino's foot pressing down on her head. "So you're friends of that Kyuushingai punk, is that it? You won't get away with this!"

"Kyuushingai?" The surprise was evident in Shikamaru's voice.

"Eh, well…" said Ino—but that was as far as she got before Kin, with a violent heave, pushed herself off the ground and in so doing knocked the blond girl off-balance. "Whoops!"

"Watch out!" Choji exclaimed, turning to steady Ino—but Dosu, on whose head he'd stomped, reached for his ankle and shoved it off, sending the stout boy stumbling backward in surprise. At the same moment, Zaku clenched a fist and punched Shikamaru's ankle hard, causing the other boy to wince and take his foot off Zaku's head, hopping away in the process.

"You guys want to underestimate us?" Dosu snapped as he, Kin and Zaku stood up to face the other trio. "You'll regret standing in our way! Get 'em!"

**OoOoO**

Oblivious to the fighting going on just above their heads, with the roar of the waterfall masking that encounter's noises, Naruto and Tenten stood in their respective poses, watching, waiting, their eyes missing nothing, Naruto's fists in front of him and prepared, Tenten's hands tightly clutching her iron clubs.

Then Tenten let out a battle cry and attacked, darting forward.

Naruto dodged the first downward swing of the right-handed morning-star. Not to be outdone, Tenten swung the left-handed club toward the side, but Naruto ducked right down so that the club passed scant inches over his head. Eyes widening as she realized she'd missed with both blows, Tenten suddenly felt the wind knocked out of her as Naruto sunk one fist, then the next, into her abdomen and midsection in rapid succession. As Tenten stumbled, Naruto kicked out at one of her legs, causing her to topple over completely and land squarely on her face.

"Those morning-stars can cause considerable damage if they hit," Naruto said matter-of-factly. "But because of their weight, they're hard to swing around effectively, even if you're strong enough to wield them the way they're supposed to be held. If all you're going to do is try to hit me with those things, you won't get very far."

"Oh, please. Do you think I'd come recklessly into a fight with a weapon I'd have no clue how to use?" Tenten demanded, getting back up and holding both weapons more tightly. "I'll say kudos to you for landing the first blow, but now the fun ends. It's time I started fighting more seriously—and it's time for you to fall, Kurama the Fox!"

Lifting both clubs above her head, she swung them down toward Naruto, but he jumped back in time to avoid the attack, resulting in the twin morning-stars slamming into the ground instead. Gritting her teeth, Tenten released her hold on the weapons and rolled into a crouch, kicking out at Naruto's ankles and causing him to fall to the dirt. Still, Naruto quickly rolled sideways and jumped back up, both fists up and ready for defense. "Okay, so you decided to ditch those clubs—you want to go hand-to-hand, now?" he asked.

"Weapons, hand-to-hand, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you go down now!" Tenten flung a barrage of punches at Naruto's head and chest, but he managed to block or avoid them and countered with a jabbing punch here and there, hitting her in the face and knocking her back. "Ugh…"

The next thing she knew, Naruto was up in her face and thrusting one knee into her stomach, resulting in her gasping and dropping to her knees while clutching herself where he'd hit her. Naruto, meantime, stood over her with the same stern expression from earlier. "If you know that I'm one of the Nine Terrors, you should know that we were better warriors than you're presenting yourself as now," he said dryly. "You're outmatched, Tenten. Give up while you're still ahead."

**OoOoO**

Dosu and Choji had their hands locked together, fingers intertwined and palm-to-palm, as they struggled against each other. "Damn you…!" Choji grunted from the strain.

"Heh…you're strong, fat boy, but you're not a trained street fighter," Dosu mocked him. "I earned my stripes fighting tougher guys than you. And…" All at once he reared his head back and then flung it forward in a head-butt, knocking Choji backward even as blood spurted from the young Akimichi's nose. "I'm willing to fight dirty where I need to!" Dosu added, rubbing his forehead with contempt.

Not far away, Shikamaru was having a somewhat better time against Zaku, whose punches he kept dodging with lazy effort. "Stand still so I can punch you, you…!" Zaku snarled with growing frustration.

"Nah, I don't wanna," Shikamaru said in a bored tone. "It'll be too much trouble if I have to explain to my mom why I've got bruises on my face." Then, as Zaku lunged forward for another punch, Shikamaru smoothly stepped aside and casually stuck his foot in the way, tripping Zaku and causing him to fall hard on his chin. "Sheesh, can't you give it up already?"

"Why, you…!" Zaku snorted, gripping his now-bloody chin. "I'll tear your head off for that!" And with a loud shout, he kicked high at Shikamaru's head—but Shikamaru swiftly stooped down, avoiding the kick, and then sent a kick of his own to Zaku's supporting leg, causing his opponent to drop heavily on his side. "Agh! Aw, for the love of…!"

Nearby, Kin and Ino were playing a sort of tug-of-war with one another, pulling each other's hair and dragging each other back and forth. "Let go of my hair, bitch!" Kin screeched.

"YOU let go of MY hair, whore!" Ino raged back.

Baring her teeth in an angry cry, Kin kicked out at Ino's side. Grunting from the impact, Ino retaliated by letting go of Kin's hair and punching the other girl repeatedly in the stomach; Kin, undaunted, gripped Ino's hair more tightly and forcefully brought the blond girl's head down to meet her own knee, earning a cry of pain from Ino as her mouth got smashed against Kin's knee. Kin then flung Ino down to the ground and lifted one foot, stomping down hard on Ino's shoulders and causing the other girl to grunt in pain.

"I fought tougher chicks than you when I was in juvie," Kin said scornfully, grinding her heel on Ino's back. "Compared to them, you're nothing special."

"Y-yeah?" Ino replied, rebellion in her tone. "Well, I might not be a fighter…but…I'm not going to lose to the likes of you!" That said, she shoved her fingernails into Kin's bare leg and pulled down hard; Kin let out a cry of shock at the pain of the scratch, giving Ino enough of a distraction to pull herself from under the gangster girl's foot and into a crouching position.

"Why, you little wretch! I'll make you pay for doing that!" Kin exploded, rushing at Ino—but as she flung her fist forward, Ino managed to dodge it and, in retaliation, brought one hand down and beneath Kin's thighs, grabbing and twisting her grip. A scream of shocked pain tore its way out of Kin's throat, and then the dark-haired girl collapsed in a ball of sobbing pain.

"I learned _that _while dealing with the dirty old men that always used to come in my family's store to shop," Ino said coolly. "But whether you're a man or a woman, it's pretty much the same result."

Over on his end, Dosu turned in time to see Kin collapse. "Kin!" he shouted, preparing to run to her aid—but then Choji tackled him and brought him down hard. "Ungh!"

"Where're you going, bandage-boy? I'm your opponent!" Choji declared, before sending his fist flying into Dosu's face. Blood immediately stained Dosu's bandages where his mouth and nose were covered, but Choji continued punching—WHAM—WHAM—WHAM—until Dosu's eyes glazed over and he had a dazed expression on his face.

"One more for good measure!" Choji crowed triumphantly, sending his fist crashing into Dosu's face once again and this time knocking the gangster unconscious. "These guys talk a big game, but they sure don't know how to back it up!"

"You don't say," Shikamaru replied, continuing to dodge Zaku's flailing punches.

"Ungh…c'mon, hold still…" Zaku's voice was tired now, his punches coming more slowly now. At length he threw one more tired punch at Shikamaru's head…and Shikamaru ducked to avoid the attack, stepped right in and sent a solid punch to Zaku's nose, breaking it and sending the guy flat on his back.

Kin, still crouched over and holding her crotch in pain, managed to look out even though her eyes were blinded by tears. "I'll…kill you…for this…" she spat out at Ino.

In response, Ino grabbed Kin by her hair, yanked her up, and rammed the girl's forehead into the ground, knocking Kin senseless. "Good luck with that," Ino deadpanned.

"Man, this is such a pain…having to fight off three street punks and not get hurt in the process," Shikamaru grumbled. "And now we're going to have to find something to restrain them before they wake up…"

"That's not all…" Choji looked at Ino. "These guys were saying something about Naruto being a Kyuushingai…what's up with that?"

"First, let's focus on restraining these three idiots," Ino ordered. "I'll explain the rest in a bit."

**OoOoO**

"Give up?" Tenten said softly. "Me, give up? Ha, ha, ha…you've no idea who you're talking to, do you?"

Suddenly grabbing up some dirt from the ground, she flung it into Naruto's face. "Agh!" he cried out, his hands automatically rubbing his eyes to clear them—then he felt iron-like knuckles at his jaw and his head turned violently to one side, only for his whole upper body to double over as Tenten shot her knee up into his abdomen. Then she bent down and brought her elbow up into his face, knocking him off-balance so that he toppled over and onto his back.

Bending down quickly to retrieve one of her clubs, Tenten swung it up as hard as she could. "End of the line, Kurama the Fox!" she screamed, bringing the club down toward Naruto's head.

Her jubilation was cut short, however, as Naruto lifted one of his feet toward her club's handle, freezing its momentum right there and jarring her arm in the process. "I don't think so," Naruto said coldly, before shifting that same leg and delivering a kick to Tenten's gut that sent her stumbling backwards.

"Grr…" Tenten glared at Naruto as he picked himself up off the ground. "Persistent bastard, aren't you?"

Naruto had one eye closed, and even now he was wiping the dirt out of that eye as best he could while keeping his still-open eye focused on his opponent. His lip was split from where Tenten had hit him with her elbow; gathering the blood into his mouth, he spat it all to one side. "I could say the same to you," he replied, wincing as the act of speaking stung his injured lip. "You'll use any dirty tactic you can use to win."

"Naturally! There's no such thing as a 'clean fight' when you're looking to be the victor!" Tenten replied. "And against a member of the Nine Terrors, I'll use every tactic there is in the book and outside it as well!" and she punctuated the last word by suddenly flinging the club in her hand at Naruto.

The blond boy quickly sidestepped the thrown weapon, and then pushed aside Tenten's arm as her punch came toward his face. He countered with an elbow to her chest, followed by throwing his other elbow into her jaw and then bringing that arm back around to slam his fist against the side of her head, causing her to stumble badly. However, as Naruto drew his arm back for another punch, Tenten reacted fast enough to send an uppercut to his chin, rattling his jaw and jarring him badly. She followed up with a kick to his shin—but he lifted his leg in time for the kick to miss, and then came right back with a downward punch to Tenten's face that was hard enough to knock her down.

Spitting blood from the last attack, Tenten scrambled to grab her remaining morning-star, which still lay on the ground where she'd left it moments earlier. Naruto was just as fast, however, and managed to grab the weapon at the same time Tenten did; he tried to yank it out of her hands, but she quickly pulled herself to her feet and struggled with him. "Let it go, dammit!" she cried.

"Hell no!" Naruto fired back, pulling the club to one side with such force that he managed to fling Tenten back to the ground at the same time. Howling in frustration, Tenten pulled one of her knees to her chest and then kicked out at Naruto's own knee; he in turn let out a pained cry at the impact of the kick and stumbled and fell. The club got jerked out of his hand from the impact of his fall; Tenten quickly pulled herself to her feet and leaped for it, grabbing it at just the same time Naruto rolled to one side and pulled himself up on his good knee.

"Damn it…" Naruto flinched and held his other knee where Tenten had kicked him—and then he became aware of Tenten walking toward him, club in hand.

"So…after all my training…this is the end result." Tenten twirled the morning-star in her hand as she stood over Naruto. "You fought pretty well, I'll admit, but with your knee shot as it is right now, there's no way you'll be able to make a comeba—" but suddenly her words got cut off as Naruto lunged at her, taking her totally by surprise, and sent a strong punch to the side of her neck.

Tenten dropped her weapon from the shock. She choked and coughed as the pain from the blow registered in her brain, but then what breath she had got cut off as Naruto sent another swift punch directly into her solar-plexus, followed up by a right hook to her nose and a left to her side. She collapsed on her rear, coughing and fighting to get back her breath even as blood streamed from her nose and over her lips, her face a mixture of pain and disbelief. "N…no way…" she managed to choke out, holding her neck.

Naruto, hopping on his good leg for balance, managed to bend down and take up the dropped morning-star, holding it over her head. "Not bad," he said gravely. "But if you take one more blow to your jugular, you're going to be in for a lot of pain. Give up now, while you're still conscious and breathing."

Tenten's breathing became a little steadier, though the pain from the blow to her neck had by no means subsided. "And if I don't? What'll you do—kill me? That's what you Kyuushingai folks do, isn't it? Like during the 365 days?"

Naruto's grip tightened on the club. "That was over two years ago, by now."

"So what? You expect people are going to just forget about it?" Tenten demanded. "If that's what you think, then you're a naïve idiot."

"I don't expect people to forget. I'd just rather do what I can to put that time behind me," said Naruto. "And anyway, what do you care? You were eager to fight anybody who was in the Kyuushingai, weren't you? Well, you got your wish, and you lost. Tough."

"Heh, heh, heh." Tenten chuckled. "How rich is that? You say you want to put it behind you, yet you talk as if the 365 days was just another item in yesterday's news. Well, if killing people can be so casual for you," and here she raised her head and fixed a steely gaze on him, "why don't you hurry up and kill me? _Go on!_ I've lost to you, haven't I? Go ahead—kill me like your Kyuushingai pals killed my **parents!"**

"…what?" Naruto frowned…and that one lapse in concentration was all Tenten needed to send a swift kick to his injured knee, causing him to cry out and fall over, dropping the morning-star as he tried to steady himself with his hands.

"Iwa City!" Tenten screamed, jumping up and sending a solid kick to Naruto's ribs, knocking him down. She immediately jumped on top of him, effectively sitting on his stomach with her knees on the ground on either side of his torso, and flung punch after punch into his face. "April! That year!" she spat, emphasizing her words with a punch. "You people tore through a soup kitchen! My parents were volunteering there! My mom got her head cut off during your rampage! My dad got skewered so badly he couldn't even survive the surgery afterward!" She stopped punching him and wrapped her hands around his neck instead, throttling him. "Do you have ANY clue what it was like for me to have to identify them at the morgue? Do you know what I had to go through for months after that, with no other family to stay with and no place to call home? Do you know how many nightmares I suffered for a whole year after my parents were buried, always wondering when it'd be my turn to die at the hands of one of you guys?"

Naruto tightly gripped Tenten's wrists, trying to pull her hands off him. As the fog of unconsciousness began to swim into his vision due to lack of oxygen, he briefly considered whether to try reaching up and stabbing out her eyes with his fingers…yeah, that might probably work, and it might be the only quick option…

…and then he felt something hot dripping on his face. From directly above him. That dripping thing hit the fresh bruises from where Tenten had been striking him, making them sting. And the grip on his neck was loosening, though it didn't let go of him completely. And as his vision came back into focus, he realized what the source of this mysterious hot dripping on his face was.

Tenten was crying.

"Why…?" The question came out in a barely audible whisper, in sharp contrast to Tenten's screams of a moment earlier. "Why did you kill them? What did they ever do to you people? What crime did they commit that was so bad that murdering them was the only thing you could do to them? What did _I_ do that justified you taking my two most precious people in the world away from me? What was my crime, that making me live through that kind of trauma was the right punishment?" She sniffled, the tears coming more freely now. "Why?" she sobbed out. "I…I spent the better part of two years, training…beating up punks in back alleys and bars, night after night…working myself to the point of exhaustion…all so I could be strong enough to fight you guys one day…make you all pay for what you did to me…no matter what Mizuki's idiots were going to pay me, even if they didn't have anything to pay me at all, so long as they said the person they wanted me to fight was one of the Nine Terrors, I'd have jumped as high as they wanted right there…all for the chance to make even one of you pay…"

Gingerly, Naruto pulled Tenten's hands off his neck and slowly sat up, facing her directly. "If you killed me now…would the pain go away? Would the nightmares finally stop?" he asked quietly.

There was no answer, and there would be none. Tenten's shoulders shook violently with her sobs. Rather awkwardly, unsure what else to do, Naruto reached a hand to her head and pulled her close, so that her face would be resting on his neck.

She didn't resist. The tears continued to flow.

"NARUTO!" Ino's voice broke the air, and on looking up, Naruto saw her, Shikamaru and Choji running down the slope near the waterfall toward them. "Naruto, are you…all right…?" Ino's voice trailed off as she beheld the scene before her.

"Huh…awk-waaaard," Shikamaru said after a moment.

"Dude…who won?" Choji ventured.

Naruto didn't answer, even as Tenten wept on his shoulder. _Has ANYBODY won here?_

**OoOoO**

"Sir." The servant approached the door and addressed the shadowy figure sitting alone on the couch. "Our watchmen have just received information confirming your earlier suspicions."

"Yes…?" the master waited.

"It is so, sir. Uzumaki Naruto is indeed a former member of the Kyuushingai, the Nine Terrors."

"I see." The figure nodded. "Make the preparations to that effect."

"Hai." The servant bowed respectfully and then turned and left.

And there in the darkness…Uchiha Sasuke's eyes flashed. "This should prove interesting…wouldn't you agree, Uzumaki Naruto?"

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 16

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: Time to address a few more things that have come up in reviews! Now, first among those, the incessant moments of supposed NaruIno…as I have said before, those two, while certainly being close, will not be a couple in this story; the direction I want to take it is NaruHina, and I've already started it that way and will continue it that way. Where Naruto and Ino are concerned, think of it as being kinda similar to Clark Kent and Lana Lang. Or, if you're familiar with TV Tropes lingo, they're "Platonic Life Partners."

Regarding the view that Naruto's in danger of becoming a Mary Sue/Gary Stu-like character, well, let's consider: _Rurouni Kenshin's _titular character could be considered similarly. Or _Fist of the North Star's _Kenshiro. Or Bryan Mills from the first half of the first _Taken. _Or Jason Bourne from the _Bourne_ movie series. Putting it simply, to me, it's just that nobody's been shown yet who can curb-stomp Naruto.

As for the number of crotch-shots that have been used in this story to date—well, while the one with Suigetsu was clearly meant for comedy, anyone who's been in a real fight will tell you that the crotch is one of the more vulnerable areas to go for in a fight. And since I'm abstaining from any ninja magic or tailed beasts in this story, and keeping the fights as close to pragmatic and realistic as I can, crotch shots may come up from time to time, though I think I'll tone them down from here on out.

And no, Sai is not the Rokubi.

All right…Chapter 17 is next, folks!


	17. Origin of the Kyuushingai

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 17: Origin of the Kyuushingai**

_Ding-ding-ding-dong! Ding-dong-dong-dong!_

As the school bell rang to announce the start of another Monday morning schedule, Hinata sat at her desk in her classroom, writing into her diary.

_January 23. New entry, beginning 8:55 a.m._

_I saw Naruto-kun this morning when we arrived at school, at roughly the same time, for the general assembly…I saw him among the crowd of students, so I didn't get to say good morning to him, though I would have liked to. I don't suppose I'd have been able to, anyway; Neji was right next to me, and I am sure that if I made any deliberate move to go speak to Naruto-kun, he would report it back to Father. I know that Father said to stay away from Naruto-kun, and that he thinks Naruto-kun is a bad influence…but he doesn't know the full story. He's only going off what Neji said to him at dinner the other evening. I wish there was some way I could get Father to meet Naruto-kun and draw his own conclusion from that…_

_But in any case, I don't know if I would have been welcome around Naruto-kun this morning. He had such a strange look on his face…plus some bruises, as though he'd been in a fight recently. That expression…it's definitely a scary one, nothing like what I've seen of him before today. What could have happened, for him to be in this kind of condition…?_

Hinata chewed her pen thoughtfully before resuming her writing.

_Speaking of strange expressions…Neji had one on his face as well, all day yesterday, and he was quite reserved during our family dinner conversation too. What could have happened…? _Her pen flew fast as she wrote. _Did…did something serious happen between the two of them? Neji wouldn't…would he…?_

**OoOoO**

"Hey, look! Tenten's at school today!" some of the girls in her class whispered to each other as she came inside with her books in her arms.

"Do you see those bruises on her?" the whispers continued. "It looks like she tried to use some kind of skin cream to cover them up, but you can still see them…did something happen?"

"Maybe she was in an accident…that's probably why she missed so many days of school last week…"

Ignoring the gossiping hens among her classmates, Tenten went to her seat and sat down in a mechanical fashion. But even as she fished out her writing materials and turned to the requisite page for the day's lesson, even as she paid keen attention while the teacher came into the classroom and subsequently began to write on the board, she could still feel the eyes of the other students on her person, could glimpse the occasional note passed from one person to another, could see the searching expressions on every face close enough to get a glimpse of where she sat.

And in particular, she could feel two pairs of eyes that she knew belonged to two people who were going to want answers and would stop at nothing to get them.

The time ticked by. Then the bell rang, and the students stood up to leave the room. Tenten gathered her things as quickly as she could and stood—and found herself flanked by Neji and Lee. "Please excuse me," she said shortly.

"No." Neji's tone was like a blade.

"What do you want?" Tenten lifted an eyebrow. "For me to say sorry for hitting Lee? Or for me to say sorry for making you race your car all around the neighborhood?"

"Tenten, I'm not holding a grudge for you sucker-punching me," Lee said gently. "And it's not about the road-chase, either. We just want to know WHY. What was all of that activity yesterday for?"

Tenten frowned. "What if I say I don't want to talk about it?"

"You punched Lee in the gut after he tried to show concern for your well-being since you hadn't been at school for three days. Then yesterday you led us on a high-speed chase after leaving Naruto-kun's house—and speaking of which, while you were _there,_ he had to intercept you attacking his friend, which Lee and I both witnessed. You don't get a free pass here, after all of that." Neji shook his head. "At least help us to understand, Tenten. Because I am very sure that neither of us," indicating himself and Lee, "is going to let this slide by until you tell us what is going on."

Tenten looked from one to the other of the boys, the same frown still on her face.

Then she sighed, gave up and sat back down.

**OoOoO**

Lunchtime came. Naruto sat underneath the same tree he, Shikamaru and Choji had been sitting under the last time, but now he sat alone, his back up against the tree trunk, arms folded, eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowed and staring straight ahead, and jaw set in a tight line. The noise of passing students did little to rouse him from that position.

"Naruto?"

His eyes were the only parts of his body that moved as he glanced up at Ino, Shikamaru and Choji approaching him. "There you are, we've been looking all over for you…" Ino's voice trailed off as she noticed the look on his face. "Um…are you all right?"

Naruto's answer was blunt. "Just yesterday I fought with a girl who's got some serious emotional fragility carrying around. How do you think I am?"

"Er…yeah…I guess that should be expected," Choji remarked sheepishly, scratching his cheek with one finger.

Shikamaru stepped forward. "Look, Naruto…after we left the waterfall yesterday, Ino explained to us what's been going on. About you and…your past." He noted Naruto's eyes narrowing slightly more. "She didn't bring it up first—a couple of Mizuki's thugs were at the top of the waterfall, spying on you guys, and we found them there. One of them blurted it out when we confronted them."

"I see." Still Naruto's serious expression and pose remained in place.

"Hmm…" Ino looked at Shikamaru and Choji, and then back at Naruto. "Naruto…it's not as if we…well, what I mean is…"

Choji shook his head. "Look, Naruto, whatever happened back then, it's over and gone now, isn't it?"

"That's what I'd always thought…but clearly Tenten didn't agree. Neither would anyone else who lost friends and family in all of that bloodshed," Naruto said darkly. "And if you stick around me, people are bound to show up who'll be holding grudges against the Kyuushingai, just like Tenten did."

"So you want us to ditch you, is that what you're saying?" Shikamaru scowled. "Damn, you're a more troublesome moron than you look. We could've left you to yourself when we found out yesterday, but we didn't, did we? And Ino's known since she first met you—but she's still here, isn't she? Don't be so damn ungrateful, you prick."

"Hmph." Naruto lifted an eyebrow, but otherwise his expression didn't change. "Well, how about I tell you guys a little story…then you can re-evaluate that declaration."

"Eh? A story?" Ino queried.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded once. "The story…of how the Kyuushingai came to be."

The other three teens looked at each other. "This should at least not be boring," said Shikamaru, and he promptly sat down on the grass in front of Naruto, with Ino and Choji following suit moments later.

"Mmm-hmm." Naruto took a deep breath, and then released it slowly. "How it all started…how the 365 days of terror came to be…"

**OoOoO**

FOUR MONTHS BEFORE THE 365 DAYS' RAMPAGE BEGAN

"_Doctor, are you certain this will give us the results we want?" the dark-clad figure asked, with nary a trace of emotion._

"_Perfectly certain," the bearded, white-coated man replied, confidence oozing from his voice. "Nine individuals, randomly chosen from different corners of society, to be the test subjects for our training program…different ages, races, body types, socio-economic backgrounds, and personalities…"_

"_To make the perfect soldiers," the first man finished. "But again, what is your guarantee that this training program will bear fruit? We are bankrolling you with a significant sum of funding for this to be a success, you know, Doctor. Our superior will have you know that failure, in any particular, will not be an option."_

"_Your superior frets too much." The doctor scoffed. "And you all have clearly watched too many shows where super-soldier projects fail because of incompetence on the researchers' part or unwillingness on that of the test subjects."_

"_Get to the point, Doctor. What will make your work any different?" The visitor's gaze narrowed._

_The doctor chuckled. "When we started this program, in selecting the nine participants, we made sure that we explained the full outline of what we intended to do, for them to understand. And once we gave the full explanation, we gave them the choice of whether they wished to assist us or not; we did not coerce them, neither did we take them against their will. For those who would not have been of the legal age of consent by law, we spoke to their parents or guardians, made sure they fully understood our aim, and let them have a say in whether they wished for their children to be involved with the project or not."_

"_And what if they had said no? You would be hard-pressed to find replacements," the other man noted._

"_We were prepared for that," said the doctor. "Indeed, a few persons who we initially approached turned us down…but eventually we were able to find the requisite nine. It has been one month since we got the final volunteer; his parents took some convincing, but it's been worth it—he shows great promise, as do the other eight."_

"_Convince me." The visitor's voice was flat._

"_Very well, then. Walk with me." The doctor headed down the corridor, and the other man followed. By and by they arrived at the entrance to an exercise room, where a young blond teenager was running on a treadmill. "Good afternoon, Naruto-kun," the doctor hailed him. "How goes your workout?"_

"_Oh, hey, Doc!" Naruto greeted the doctor. "Who's that guy?" he continued, eyeing the other man._

"_Just a representative of the government, my boy," the doctor replied smoothly. "He's come to observe how our program is going. You know how some of these folks can get—bossy, snotty, pushy…"_

"_Heh, heh, heh, yeah," Naruto chuckled, not missing the bulging vein in the visitor's forehead._

"_Ahem. Anyway…" The visitor shook his head. "Naruto-kun, is it? Has the doctor fully explained to you just what you'll be required to do as a result of this training program?"_

"_Oh, sure!" Naruto said casually. "We're going to be taught how to use different kinds of weapons, how to fight, how to get stronger and faster, and basically how to be special agents in top-ranking positions for the government! We'll get to go on a lot of tough missions, protecting important dignitaries, handling rescue operations—basically, how to be cops, paramedics, bodyguards, and secret agents, all rolled into one."_

"_Hmm. Well, that IS the general intended idea," the visitor admitted. "Then do you understand that some of your missions, once you complete this training, will require you…to kill people?"_

"_Yeah…" Now Naruto frowned and slowed his run on the treadmill. "We had that explained to us on the first day."_

"_And how do you feel about that? That you'd be required to kill, I mean." The man gave him a searching glance._

"_Well…cops have to kill sometimes, too, right? In self-defense and all that." Naruto shrugged. "But after this training's done, we'll be skilled enough to know how not to kill if we can avoid it. Isn't that what you said, Doc?"_

"_Yes, that's true—I most certainly told you that," the doctor nodded._

_The visitor folded his arms over his chest. "Well, you seem to be taking all this well. What about your parents, what do they have to say?"_

"_They're kinda cool with it, I guess," said Naruto. "Mom was a bit unsure at first, but after we all talked it over, they said okay. Dad works with the military, too, so he was able to convince her. He and I tag-teamed her," he added with a grin._

"_Hmm. I see." The visitor nodded briefly. "Very well, then. Excuse us for disturbing you, Naruto-kun."_

**OoOoO**

"…at least, that was how it was supposed to go," Naruto continued his tale. "The training program was to make us into human weapons, to put it simply. But the regimen didn't involve anything underhanded—it was pretty revolutionary. With the use of the latest technology on hand, and all the information we could learn at the pace they were teaching us, they were able to cram ten years' worth of training into four months. We were taught how to speak at least three languages each, how to fight, how to use weapons, that kind of thing."

"Ten years' worth of training…in only four months?" Shikamaru sounded skeptical.

"Yeah, I admit it seemed pretty hokey to me, too," Naruto admitted. "But the way they were able to do it was really, really cool. Ever watch that movie where they inject a port into your brain and download information right into your mind in less than a minute?"

"Oh, yeah…that was a really cool movie when it came out!" Choji laughed.

"But this is real life, Naruto, not a movie," Ino said doubtfully.

"Well, these scientists found a way to make it work—and the best part was, they didn't have to plug anything into the brain," said Naruto. "They had this weird machinery that was connected to computer networks, and all they did was place these little glass bulbs in front of our eyes, turn them on, and the info would go right into our brains in a heartbeat. Of course, we had to practice everything we learned from that machinery afterward, in order for it to stick."

"Huh…well, I guess that's slightly less troublesome than actually having to train for ten years," Shikamaru sighed. "But who'd believe it—that there was technology that could do that?"

"It was created by some of the brightest minds the government could recruit for the job," said Naruto. "The doctor who led the procedure…I never did learn his name, but he was a pretty cool guy. Until…"

"Until?" Choji prompted.

For the first time, Naruto's eyes became downcast. "Until the night…at midnight…when the 365 days of terror began."

"…what happened that night, Naruto?" Ino asked softly.

"Up to now, I still don't know." Naruto shrugged. "All I know is, one minute everything was peace and quiet…then the next thing I knew, there was death all around us. Fire…blood…bodies of the dead and the dying…people attacking us, forcing us to fight battles that should never have been fought…for 365 days afterward, we became known as monsters. And, really, the only weapons we used to facilitate such devastation…was the intelligence we were given through that super-soldier program."

Silence followed. Choji broke it. "Whoa…"

Shikamaru frowned. "Naruto…I get the impression that this information you're telling us, about this training you undertook…it was all a big secret, wasn't it? So…"

"So why am I freely telling you all this now? That's what you want to ask, right?" said Naruto. "It's true, we all had to sign contracts swearing that we would not tell anyone else about the type of training we were getting, in order to keep the technology from being stolen by anyone else—or in the case of those of us who were below legal age, our parents signed for us. But…shortly after the 365 days started, the team of scientists who'd developed the technology decided it was too risky to keep any of it around…so they destroyed it. Shortly after that…many of them were murdered, and those who managed to escape went into hiding. As for us, the Nine Terrors…when that year was drawing to a close, I managed to get back in touch with my parents, and we set it up so that we'd just disappear. And we did. The other eight…I haven't seen them in over two years since that time."

"Hmm." Shikamaru's face was unusually focused. "Well, I have to say, if your aim was to keep hidden from anyone who might seek revenge, you did a great job of it. According to the stories from that time, nobody even knows what the Nine Terrors look like, let alone knowing their names."

But Naruto shook his head. "I wonder just how successful I've really been…considering what happened with Tenten yesterday."

"Do you think she'll come after you again?" Ino sounded concerned.

"Who knows…" Naruto sighed. "She lost her parents during that massacre, so she's got every right to be angry. And who knows who else in this town alone might have lost someone important to them because of the Kyuushingai…"

"Oi, Naruto." Choji crossed his arms over his chest. "Just tell us one thing. Are you sorry about what happened during the 365 days?"

Naruto hung his head a little, resulting in his hair overshadowing his brow. "A lot of times I just wish I could forget it ever happened. Nothing of that time was like what I'd hoped we could use our training for. It went against everything I'd hoped we could do." He shook his head again. "I'm sorry, guys, but could you let me have some time to think, by myself?"

"Of course." Ino stood up. "But please remember, Naruto…we didn't shun you. And we still want to be your friends, if you'll let us."

"Yeah, man! Hang out with us and let's eat burgers again sometime!" Choji said cheerfully.

"Yeah, what they said," said Shikamaru. "You're a troublesome guy, Naruto…but you're not so troublesome that we won't hang around you."

With that, the trio walked away, leaving Naruto to himself. Watching their departure, the blond boy leaned back against the tree and sighed deeply. "Friends, huh…"

"That's not such a bad thing, you know—to have friends who accept you, warts and all."

"Gack!" Naruto jumped up in fright, just as Hatake Kakashi emerged from behind the tree with his notorious-looking book in hand. "Hey, man, how long have you been back there? You could've given me a heart attack, you know! Don't intrude on people like that!" Naruto snapped.

"Well, I was quietly reading my book all by my lonesome, and then you showed up and sat on the other side of this tree, so technically you were intruding on me," Kakashi said casually through his ever-present dust-mask.

Naruto's expression was more serious now. "So you heard everything…"

"It's not my place to criticize you about what you have or haven't done in the past." Kakashi gently clapped his book shut as he fixed his visible eye on Naruto. "But as a teacher, may I offer a word of advice?"

Naruto waited.

"Just because you desire for the past to never have happened, does not mean it will automatically never have happened," said Kakashi. "What happened back then was a terrible set of circumstances, yes, but ultimately it has already happened, and you can't undo it now. If you wish to atone for your sins, first you must be willing to let go of the burden you have carried on your back for so long, and learn to forgive yourself."

Naruto looked solemnly to one side. "I let them turn me into a guinea pig…because I wanted to change the world. Instead, I helped to create chaos and destruction…"

"…and many cities were ruined and people lost their lives. Yes, I saw the news reports too." Kakashi nodded. "But will wallowing in self-hatred reverse any of the damage you caused?"

"…"

"You are older now, Naruto. With age comes wisdom. How you apply that wisdom is entirely up to you…for good or ill, it's your choice." Then Kakashi walked away without another word.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto whispered as he watched the older man leave.

**OoOoO**

High up in the tree above Naruto's head, Shino looked on quietly.

**OoOoO**

Later that evening…

"…I see." Hiashi closed the book he had been reading inside his study, and fixed his gaze on his nephew. "So that's how it is…"

"Yes, Uncle." Neji nodded gravely. "Uzumaki Naruto was one of the Nine Terrors. Tenten went to challenge him because of that fact."

"But the match ended in a draw," said Hiashi.

"According to Tenten, yes," said Neji. "And when she told me of his connection to the Kyuushingai, I recalled certain information that Shimura-sama had gleaned concerning Naruto-kun—specifically, why he transferred from Uzushio High School to attend Konoha High School."

Hiashi lifted an eyebrow slightly. "Oh?"

"Mmm-hmm." Neji nodded. "According to Shimura-sama's information, Naruto-kun was involved in an altercation with a local gang, and managed from that incident to cause significant damage to the school's property. Whirl City was one of those locations that had been heaviest hit by the attack of the Kyuushingai, and the destruction of the 365 days was still quite fresh in the townspeople's minds, so they began to view Naruto with a great deal of suspicion. How could one single person fend off an entire gang, after all? However…since the gang in question had been giving the local police trouble for some time, the school offered Naruto-kun a choice: either leave of his own volition, or be expelled and arrested for his devastation."

"So he chose to transfer. That way, he would not have a police record to his name." Hiashi fingered his chin. "And now he is here, in Konoha Town."

"What would you suggest we do, Uncle?" asked Neji.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed in deep thought. "Does your principal's information definitely say that Naruto is one of the Kyuushingai?"

"No, it does not," said Neji. "It only outlines that particular incident and the outcome."

"Then Danzo does not yet know for himself," Hiashi concluded. "But I suspect the last thing he wants is to have one of the Nine Terrors living among his school populace. If you inform him, he will take measures to have Naruto…dealt with."

Neji nodded. "Then I shall let him know, at the first opportunity."

Hiashi nodded his agreement. "It is your duty, as student council president of Konoha High School, to ensure chaos does not break out among your peers. To allow a person like this one to have his own way and do as he pleases will only cause problems, more so now that we know who he really is."

"Understood, Uncle," said Neji.

Suddenly Hiashi tensed, looking right past Neji and toward the door of the study. "How long have you been standing there, Hinata?"

Neji turned and saw his younger cousin standing just inside the door. "How much did you hear, Hinata?" he asked her.

"I'm sorry," Hinata said quietly, stepping inside and into full view. "I was passing close by, and heard you talking about Naruto-kun…"

"Then that means now you know what sort of person he really is," said Hiashi. "And that information reinforces my earlier statement to you, that you are not to have anything to do with that boy so long as you can avoid it. I do not plan to have my daughter corrupted by him, or worse, be put in danger because of him."

Hinata cast her glance downward and to one side. "Mmm," she nodded, though there was great reluctance in her movement.

"Hinata." Neji stepped forward and spoke with authority. "It is for the best that you listen to Uncle Hiashi. After all, you barely know Naruto-kun anyway. So, for your own safety, keep your distance from him."

Hinata didn't say anything for a moment. Then she turned her eyes back up and toward Neji's face. "Neji…Father…I have no desire to offend you, and I know you mean well for me. However…do YOU know Naruto-kun?"

Neji made a face. "Excuse me?"

Hiashi rose up from his chair, very slowly, until he towered over both of them. "Hinata…you surely heard what we were saying when you were at the door, did you not?" he asked. "Surely you heard that this boy, Naruto, is a member of the Kyuushingai—the same group that caused a year's worth of misery and devastation across the region?"

"I heard all of that. But you are basing your conclusions on what happened over two years ago." Hinata stood her ground. "You have not seen Naruto-kun as he is now; you have not spent any substantial time with him to draw a balanced conclusion. Don't you think you're being overly hasty?"

"What is there to know?" Hiashi demanded. "There has been confirmation that that boy is one of the nine persons who spread terror into every city they came across. Then at the end of that year, all of them vanished without a trace—and now this one shows up here in our town, attending our local high school. How do we know he isn't planning to raze Konoha Town to ash? How do we know he's not a menace to all of us?"

Hinata turned an unflinching look onto her father. "Where is your proof that he is?" Then, before he could say another word, she spun around and marched out of the study.

"Hinata, come back here!" Hiashi shouted—just as the study door slammed shut. "Grr…that girl…so naïve!"

Neji folded his hands over his chest. "It seems, Uncle Hiashi, that Hinata needs persuasion."

"I concur." Hiashi scowled. "That Naruto must not be allowed to sully this family. And Hinata needs to wake up to the reality of what he is. As patriarch of the Hyuga family, I will do all I can to keep him from leaving his influence on her."

"If I may, Uncle…please, leave that to me. Since Naruto-kun is a student at the school where I serve as student council president, it is my responsibility first," said Neji.

"Hmm…very well, Neji. I leave it in your hands. Make sure Hinata has changed her mind before this week is out," Hiashi said firmly.

"Yes, Uncle. Uzumaki Naruto will not be permitted to sink his hooks into her." Neji nodded in understanding.

**OoOoO**

"_Brr!" _Naruto shivered as his grip on the video game controller tightened. "What the hell was that just now…like someone was breathing down my neck…" He glanced behind him incredulously.

"Naruto, are you all right?" Kushina called from the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah…I think," Naruto added under his breath.

Kushina came into the living room and beheld Naruto sitting on the floor playing his video game. "Room for one more player?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," and Naruto handed his mother the extra controller.

Sitting down, Kushina proceeded to get into the game with her son. "Aha!" she crowed triumphantly some moments later. "Victory is mine, mwa-ha-ha-ha!" she let the laughter ring out noisily.

"Oh, come on, Kushina! Best two out of three!" Naruto screeched, waving his controller in protest.

"All right, all right," Kushina said amiably.

Three minutes later Naruto was hanging his head in shame as Kushina did a little victory dance. "Yosh! Two more wins for me!" Kushina chirped.

"Aren't you a little old to be dancing around like that, you old hag?" Naruto grumbled.

Kushina kicked him in the head in response. "Talk like that again, and it's no breakfast for you tomorrow morning!" she snapped.

"Whatever, you ugly old bat!" Naruto stormed—and that led to the two of them disappearing into a cloud as they fought each other.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 17

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: All right, all right, all right. From my own estimation, this chapter has not been my best work, but (1) I have been sick the past couple days, and (2) I have not been in a favorable mood since late this afternoon. So please, bear with me.

_The Matrix_ and _The 6__th__ Day_ weren't originally going to influence this story, but as it is, they have. Skills born of artificial intelligence and technology wired into the brain, that was the only way I could think of to reasonably explain the Kyuushingai members' abilities that wouldn't involve magic or lengthy years of training, since I wanted to have them getting said abilities in a reasonable amount of time to match up to the time-line I have planned for this story.

Now, as the story continues, questions abound: What will Neji's next move be, concerning Naruto and Hinata? What does Hiashi plan to do? Will Tenten return for a rematch anytime soon? And coming over from the last chapter, what exactly does Sasuke have in mind for Naruto, and why?

Now, then…Chapter 18 is up next!


	18. Plans and Invitations

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 18 – Plans and Invitations**

Tuesday morning…in Principal Shimura Danzo's office. Danzo himself was at his desk, absorbing what he'd just been told. "I see…so that's how it is."

"Hai, Shimura-sama." Neji sat before the principal's desk. "That is all the information I have been furnished with, based on what has happened the past few days."

Danzo fingered his chin thoughtfully. "So, Uzumaki Naruto is one of the Kyuushingai. And now he is here, attending our school. This could prove most troublesome."

"Yes, sir," said Neji. "It is my belief that, at this stage, we cannot afford to act rashly with him, but at the same time we cannot allow him free reign to do whatever he feels like. Something must be done, and already I have been given leeway from my Uncle Hiashi to act on behalf of the Hyuuga family…but now I seek your advice as to what I should do as the student council president."

"A wise move," said Danzo. "In terms of what you will do regarding the effect of this boy on the integrity of the Hyuga family, I cannot advise you—you must do what you feel is best. As student council president, on the other hand…as you say, you cannot act rashly with him. If you attack a dog that you know has teeth, the dog will be merciless with its bite. At the same time, such a dog must be put on a very short chain so he cannot harm anyone."

"What's your recommendation in that case, sir?" asked Neji.

"I will hold a brief meeting with the teachers later today, to handle the matter on a staff level," said Danzo. "In the meantime, you continue to monitor his activities and take careful note of his conduct. If he makes the slightest misstep, or commits the smallest infraction against the school's code of conduct, record it and let me know, and I will deal with it accordingly."

"Hai, Shimura-sama." Neji bowed slightly.

**OoOoO**

"So let's review, class—an adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun, and an adverb is a word that modifies adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs, but not nouns or pronouns," the English teacher, Terumi Mei-sensei, addressed the students in front of her. "Therefore, take this sentence…" She turned to the board and wrote **Senju Tsunade is the first female mayor of Konoha Town**. "Can anyone identify any adjectives or adverbs in this sentence?" she inquired.

"Yes, sensei," one student at the back promptly raised her hand. "'First' and 'female' are adjectives, because they describe Mayor Senju Tsunade, who is the subject of the sentence."

"Very astute," said Mei. "Yes, at the back?" indicating a male student with a hand upraised.

"Sensei, what about the last part of the sentence, 'of Konoha Town'? Isn't that also adjectival, since it's describing where Senju Tsunade is mayor of?" said the boy.

"All right," Mei nodded. "Let's break down the sentence and see how we can make sense of its parts. First, _Senju Tsunade is the mayor._ Senju Tsunade is the subject of the sentence, and the word 'is' indicates an action, in that she is performing the role of mayor. Now, 'first' and 'female' specify which mayor she is—these indicate that she is not the first mayor of Konoha Town overall, merely that she is the town's first mayor who is female—and thus they are an adjective, because it is describing her, the noun, or the subject of the sentence. Now, going further, 'Senju Tsunade is the fifth mayor' is itself a complete sentence, but the last portion, 'of Konoha Town', is what's known as a prepositional phrase—it acts as a further description of Tsunade's title as mayor, in other words, where she is mayor of."

As the teacher continued her explanation, Naruto sat close to the back of the classroom, tapping his pen against the open page of his notebook and occasionally glancing at his watch. He didn't mind too much if the time dragged on, though; Terumi Mei was, in his view, the best thing that could have ever happened to Konoha High's English department, and that she was his English teacher this year was an even greater blessing. With a face like hers, and a huge bust, a round and firm-looking butt, and great legs, Naruto was sure that Mei-sensei had to be the object of every boy's naughtiest fantasies.

Somehow, he was sure he'd see Mei-sensei in HIS dreams later that night.

Then again…why wait until night? At which point Naruto got a slightly lecherous expression on his face as he began to imagine Mei-sensei in something other than what she was wearing…and inviting him for after-school lessons under her private tutelage…and a slight nosebleed began to develop from his nostrils…

"…Uzumaki-kun…Uzumaki-kun!"

"H-huh?" Naruto jerked out of his rude fantasy as Mei-sensei, the real one, loomed over his desk. "Uh, yes, ma'am?" he asked innocently, snorting the drop of blood back into his nose.

"If you're done admiring me for my non-scholarly attributes, Uzumaki-kun," said Mei, as Naruto's face turned bright red while the other students snickered at him, "please go to the board and write a sentence that at least has an example of an adjective and an adverb in it."

It was only then that Naruto became aware of…a problem…a _very physical _problem…that he was suffering at that very moment. Suddenly, fantasizing about the incredibly attractive teacher didn't seem like such a good thing after all. Still, standing up as carefully as he could, he stuck his hands in his pockets and jutted his thumbs outward inside them, to try and hide the problem even as he walked up to the blackboard.

From the snickers growing louder around him, he could tell that tactic wasn't working. He was only grateful when at last he got to the front of the class, where his problem wouldn't be as visible for everyone to see.

_Okay, just think of the un-sexiest thought you can think of,_ he told himself furiously as he picked up the chalk and began to write on the board.

Ino? That seemed to work…until at once his thoughts went to Ino in a two-piece bikini. Gritting his teeth, he turned his thoughts to Hinata instead…and then Hinata in a towel and nothing else. Then he shifted to Tenten attacking him with a spear…while dressed in a grass skirt and metal bra-fittings, like a stereotypical Amazon…then, out of nowhere, his thoughts ran on Sakura, with only bits and pieces of cotton covering certain parts of her…then, frantically, he forced himself to think of a very stern-looking Kurenai-sensei, in full disciplinarian-teacher mode, complete with thin-framed glasses and a severe expression…while wearing a bunny-ears cap and clad in tight black leather with a riding crop in one hand…

Shaking his head wildly, he hurriedly wrote a random sentence on the board. _**The hungry fox slowly ate the juicy meat.**_

_Holy CRAP! Why does THAT look so…so…WRONG?_

Sticking his hands back in his pockets and jutting his thumbs forward even more, Naruto walked backwards to his seat, while painfully aware of the amused looks his teacher and classmates were giving him. He didn't even feel any relief when at last he sat down, for he knew that they were all going to be snickering at him some more. Unconsciously, he sniffed hard to pull back the blood-stream that he knew was now coursing from his nose—and that generated even more stifled laughter from his classmates.

_That does it—I'm detoxing my brain from now on. No more porn for the rest of the year, period!_

**OoOoO**

"…and then the poor dear just walked backward to his desk. Just like a robot!" Mei laughed as she related the story to her fellow teachers, Yuhi Kurenai and Mitarashi Anko, at lunch that afternoon.

"Well, I don't think you should fault him too much. He had _plenty _of fodder for those kinds of thoughts," Anko said mischievously.

"Yeah, him and every other red-blooded male I teach," Mei giggled.

Kurenai calmly sipped from her juice-box. "Well, as teachers, we should be striving to be role models for all our students, male and female—and that includes how we carry ourselves as women," she remarked.

"This from the teacher who had that blond kid run right in between her breasts," Kakashi said casually as he walked past their table.

"HE WHAT?" Mei and Anko exclaimed together.

"Sh-shut up, Kakashi! It was purely accidental!" Kurenai cried out, as she blushed crimson.

"Yes, and it was an accident I'm sure that boy will treasure all the days of his life," said Kakashi, smiling behind his dust-mask.

"Why, you…!" Kurenai snarled, still blushing furiously.

"AHEM!"

All eyes turned to Principal Danzo as he made his entrance in the staffroom just then. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for allowing me the time out of your lunch break," he spoke again. "I called this emergency meeting because of information I recently received concerning a student who transferred here to Konoha High School a few weeks ago—a young man by the name of Uzumaki Naruto. Some of you may have already met him in your various classes…blond hair and whisker-marks on his cheeks."

"What about him, Danzo-sama?" asked Kurenai. "What information have you received regarding him?"

Danzo's look was stern. "I do not wish to blurt out all of what I've been told too soon, since I have only received the information second-hand…but let me say that, if that information is confirmed to be true, it will throw the whole school into an uproar," he said. "To give a brief summary…I have been informed that Uzumaki Naruto may have had past connections with criminal elements."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed.

"Connections…with criminal elements? That's rather vague, isn't it?" Mei wondered aloud.

"I understand it may seem that way, but as I said, the exact information I have with regards to that is merely allegation for now," said Danzo. "However, I do have something concretely on record regarding Uzumaki Naruto—prior to his transfer from Uzushio High School in Whirl City, he was involved in a gang-fight that caused significant damage to that institute's property, and was consequently given the choice to transfer or be expelled. Naturally, as principal of this school I do not want a repeat of such destruction taking place on the grounds of Konoha High School."

"Ahh…a real bad boy, huh?" Anko sounded quite interested.

"Therefore, I am giving instructions to all of you as teachers," said Danzo. "Those of you who have him as a student in your classes, you are to keep a close eye on him and ensure that he does not step out of line. If he causes any trouble, do not hesitate to bring it to my attention. Even to those of you who do not interact directly with him, make sure you also keep a close watch on him, and ensure that any bad influence he has does not affect the students here." He nodded. "That is all." Then he turned and left the room.

"Soooo…he took time out of our lunch period just to tell us about one potential trouble student?" Mei rolled her eyes. "It's not as if we haven't had those here before…what makes this one so different?"

"Maybe it has to do with those supposed 'criminal connections' that Danzo mentioned," suggested Anko.

Kurenai shook her head. "From what I've seen of that boy, Uzumaki Naruto, he's certainly a rowdy kid, but not a _bad_ one," she remarked.

"Well, unless you count being a little dirty-minded as bad," and Mei giggled. "Right, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Wait, why are you dragging me into that?" Kurenai demanded.

"Why not? Naruto-kun got rather personally acquainted with your chest, didn't he?" Kakashi needled her.

"More than you ever will," Kurenai shot back, and now Anko and Mei couldn't restrain their laughter.

"Well, a guy can dream…" Kakashi walked off before Kurenai could direct another barb at him.

**OoOoO**

Rock Lee wasn't sure what to do with the information that he now had. Sure, Neji had said he'd talk to Principal Danzo about the matter, but where did that leave Lee himself? As far as he was concerned, it left him with a massive piece of crucial information about a fellow student and nothing to do with it.

_A member of the Kyuushingai…is here at our school. But it's weird, though…looking at him, he doesn't really LOOK like all the stories I'd heard about the Nine Terrors…yeah, I know looks can be deceiving, but still…a guy like him?_

Walking along the corridor with his lunch in hand, Lee paused as he looked out toward a tree in the schoolyard and saw the now-familiar subject of his thoughts standing underneath said tree, apparently trying to get the attention of the pink-haired Haruno Sakura. Watching the interaction, Lee frowned and cocked an eyebrow slightly.

_That is…_

**OoOoO**

"Oh, come on, Sakura-chan, won't you go out with me? Just once? Even as just a friend!" Naruto begged.

Sakura scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "How many times are you going to ask me the same question, over and over? My answer's always going to be the same: NO!" she snapped.

"C'mon, why not?" Naruto pouted.

"Are you one of the popular students here? Are you moneyed? Are you from an influential family?" Sakura challenged.

Now it was Naruto's turn to scowl. "Are _you?"_

"But of course!" Sakura said importantly. "My father is the chief surgeon at Konoha Hospital, and that makes him one of the most influential men in Konoha Town's society of elites. That, in turn, makes me one of the most popular girls to ever grace the grounds of Konoha High School. And you, blond boy, are hopelessly, _hopelessly_ out of your league if you don't even know THAT much. And—" she raised a finger to silence Naruto before he could interrupt her. "—don't bother using your 'I just transferred here' claim as an excuse for not knowing even that much. You've been here several weeks by now—more than long enough to at least know who's hot and who's not among Konoha High's students. And you, very clearly, are not." She tossed her hair back with one hand. "Now, if you're that desperate for a girlfriend, why don't you go ask Ino-pig? I'm sure she'll accommodate you, or at least take pity on you."

"Awww…" Naruto groaned. "But I don't like Ino like _that!_ We're just good buddies, is all!"

"Well, then, sucks to be you," Sakura snorted.

"Ah, Sakura-san! The beautiful essence of springtime's bloom has caught my unworthy eye!" a loud voice suddenly shouted, catching both their attention.

"Eh?" Sakura turned and stared in bewilderment as a figure with a bowl-cut hairstyle swiftly jogged over to their location. "Uh…you're…"

"Neji's fuzzy-eyebrows friend!" Naruto burst out.

"The name's Rock Lee! Rock Lee! Remember it!" Lee admonished him. "And as for you, Sakura-san," he now turned his attention to the pink-haired girl, "I, unworthy though I am, have a request to make of you. Would you, the epitome of Konoha High School's beauty, grant me the privilege of a date this Saturday night?"

Sakura blinked in consternation. "Um…wait a minute…to just ask me something like that out of the blue…"

"Ah, but I presume this fellow here was asking you for the same thing?" Lee inquired. "Well, Sakura-san, that should only go to show how highly esteemed we men of youthful vigor regard you!" He gave her a thumbs-up and, for some reason, one of his teeth sparkled. "Unworthy as we are, we feel we must still ask you because you're just that highly regarded and sought-after!" he added, with mysterious stars sparkling around him.

Sakura flinched at the exaggerated expressions Lee was displaying. "But…"

"Oh, get lost, fuzzy-eyebrows!" Naruto snapped. "Don't you see you're creeping out Sakura-chan?"

"Creeping her out? Me?" Lee scoffed. "Let us examine the differences between you and me, shall we? You're a new student, recently transferred, who's already had a few high-profile incidents attributed to you, the most recent of which is Inuzuka Kiba-kun's assault on you for, purportedly, making gestures of an intimate nature toward Hyuga Hinata, the cousin of our esteemed student council president Hyuga Neji. I, on the other hand, am a final-year student, in the top ten in my class academically, and on good standing with Neji-san. What've you got to top that?"

Naruto scowled again. "How about the ability to beat the crap out of you?"

Lee's eyes narrowed. _He doesn't know that I know about his little secret, from Tenten…and if THAT is indeed true, he might have a point there. But… _"The rules of the school say that we are not supposed to fight each other, at least not in this setting," he said aloud. "I'm at least willing to obey the rules. You?"

"Oh, forget this! This guy is just a bother!" Sakura suddenly spoke up, roughly shoving Naruto aside. "Lee-san, you said you're among the top of your class, yes? And that you're on good standing with the student council president?" she addressed Lee.

"Oh, certainly!" Lee grinned. "In fact, Neji-san and I are very good friends, ever since we started here together in the same class from the first year! He and I have always been academic rivals, as a matter of fact!"

"You don't say. Do tell me more!" Sakura said eagerly, wrapping one arm around Lee's. "And after some consideration, perhaps I might take you up on that offer for Saturday night, if it's still open…"

"What? Noooooo!" Naruto wailed, reaching out a hand futilely as Lee and Sakura walked off arm-in-arm. "Aw, man…what's that fuzzy-eyebrows got that I don't?"

**OoOoO**

A little distance away, Neji was watching the whole proceedings between Lee, Naruto and Sakura from around a corner, just near enough that he could hear everything that was said, but subtle enough to keep himself outside their range. And as he watched, an idea came to him.

Clearing his throat, he emerged from around the corner and walked up to the despondent Naruto. "Excuse me, Naruto-kun, but I could not help seeing what just happened. It appears you have a rival in romance, for winning Sakura-san's hand."

"Ah, you saw that, Neji?" Naruto groaned. "Just great…"

"Actually, I may be able to help you get Sakura-san's interest, if you wish," Neji offered.

Naruto's ears pricked up instantly. "Really?"

"Yes." Neji nodded. "Listen. Since you're still fairly new in town, naturally you would not know this. But…" He lowered his voice. "On the last Saturday evening of every February, my uncle Hiashi hosts a grant dinner party at our family manor, the kind of party to which the very rich, very influential, and very well-connected are invited. The Haruno family—Sakura-san and her parents—have been guests to these parties for at least the past two years, and since her father, as Konoha Hospital's chief surgeon, just successfully completed several major cases this month, it's a given that the family will be invited again for the party next month."

"Well, yeah…but…even if you say that, I'm not from a high-society family," Naruto shook his head.

"Don't worry about that," said Neji. "This particular dinner party is always by invitation only—if you don't have an invitation, you cannot be allowed inside the front door. But since we're still drafting up invitations to be sent out, I can have one made for you, complete with instructions for the party and everything." He put a conspiratorial hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Think of it, Naruto-kun…you'd like to have a shot at impressing Sakura-san, yes? Then this will be your big opportunity to do it."

Naruto mulled over what Neji had just told him. "The last Saturday of February, huh…but—oh, man, I gotta go rent a tux and everything!"

"That's all right. Once you receive the invitation, you should have at least another few weeks to have everything ready in time for the party," said Neji. "And as I said, all the information will be included in the invitation. I'll make sure to get yours to you in due time."

"Wow, thanks, Neji! That's really cool of you to do that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But of course," said Neji—even as he just barely managed to keep the smirk from coming over his face.

**OoOoO**

"Eh? You got invited to the Hyuga family's annual February dinner party?" Ino asked in amazement as she and Naruto walked home together that afternoon. "How'd you manage that, Naruto? Only the richest and most influential residents of Konoha Town get invited to that place for parties of that kind!"

"I have to confess, it surprised me when Neji made me that offer, to send me an invitation to attend," Naruto admitted. "But hey, if this'll get me into Sakura-chan's good graces, who am I to look a gift-horse in the mouth?"

Ino gave him a strange look. "Sakura? What does she have to do with this?"

"Well, I tried to ask her out again today, and she turned me down and went off with Neji's weird fuzzy-eyebrows friend instead, and then Neji himself showed up and offered me a chance to impress Sakura by going to…this…par…ty…" Naruto trailed off as he saw the growing hostility in Ino's eyes. "What?"

"Naruto…you…IDIOT!" Ino smacked him across the head with her book-bag. "Are you _still_ drooling over the big-forehead bitch? I told you already, get her out of your system! And what about Hinata-san? Have you forgotten how she basically confessed her feelings to you already? Geez, you're such a jerk!"

"Hey, Hinata and I agreed to take things slow and see where it goes! That doesn't stop us from dating other people if we want—it's not like we're already an exclusive couple!" Naruto protested. "And in any case, what's your whole deal with Sakura-chan anyway? You make it sound as if you and she are mortal enemies from time immemorial!"

"What's my deal with Sakura?" Ino glared at him. "She's a snotty, condescending, stuck-up opportunist! Just because her dad's a big-shot doctor, and just because she's got some of the highest grades at school, she thinks she's all that! Well, let me tell you, SHE'S NOT! But hey…" Just as suddenly, she waved him off dismissively. "If that's the kind of girl you're attracted to, why should I bother playing matchmaker for you anymore, right? I guess I should just go tell Hinata-san not to waste her breath on you after all."

"Oi, wait just a minute—I never asked you to play Cupid for me, did I?" Naruto demanded. "And anyway, Hinata's a nice girl and all…"

"And the girl to whom you lost your first kiss," Ino butted in.

"By accident," Naruto shot back. "As I was saying, Hinata's a nice girl, but like I said before, we agreed to just let our friendship grow a little. I mean, come on, we barely know each other!"

"You barely know Sakura either, and yet you're drooling all over the very idea of her," Ino retorted, giving him a disgusted look. "Well, I hope you enjoy yourself when that party comes around." And she ran off before Naruto could utter another word.

"H-hey, Ino!" Naruto shouted after her—but she was already far up the avenue. "Aw, damn it…what exactly did I do wrong, anyhow?" he asked nobody in particular, rubbing his head in frustration.

**OoOoO**

Kushina was just taking the dinner pot off the stove when the front door slammed open and Naruto stalked past. "Bad day at school?" the redhead called without interrupting her dinner preparation.

"Just Ino acting weird and getting mad at me for whatever reason," Naruto grunted.

"I see. Well, I hope you get it all sorted out soon—you two always seem to get along so well," Kushina said casually. "Oh, before I forget, someone came by and left a package for you today. It's on the dining room table."

"A package? For me?" Naruto looked puzzled as he set down his book-bag. "From who?"

"I don't know—I didn't open it," Kushina informed him.

Puzzled, Naruto went to the dining room table, and sure enough he saw a small brown package next to the table's centerpiece vase. Opening the package, he discovered that it contained a black-colored card with white printed letters on it, and in the top left corner on the front of the card there was an unusual design: a round red circle with a black dot at its center, and three black swirling marks around the black dot. Underneath that logo was printed, in bold letters, the words **UCHIHA ZAIBATSU.**

_The Uchiha Zaibatsu?_

Cocking an eyebrow, Naruto read the information printed inside.

**OoOoO**

_Nara Shikamaru, the Uchiha Zaibatsu has selected you as a candidate for the company's upcoming Invitational Tournament. The event will be held this weekend, January 28 and 29, beginning at 8:00 p.m. on January 28, at the Uchiha Zaibatsu building. As a test of your eligibility for the tournament, you will be required to fight a designated opponent, whose name will be provided with this invitation, between the time of your receipt of this invitation and the official starting time for the competition proper._

"Man, what a drag," Shikamaru grumbled as he read the rest of the information.

**OoOoO**

_Your preliminary qualifier match will be held with your opponent at the designated location included in this invitation. Each fight will be held for duration of 100 seconds, with the winner decided by the on-site referee or referees in terms of best performance in that time-slot. No weapons are permitted during these bouts, therefore knives, firearms, incendiary objects, or any item that may be used to inflict grievous bodily harm or death will not be permitted during your match._

"Hmm…" Inuzuka Kiba, lying flat on his back on his bed in his room, read his invitation thoughtfully.

**OoOoO**

"What? But I'm not a trained fighter!" Sakura protested aloud as she read her invitation. "I mean, sure, I can scrap a little, and my dad got me self-defense lessons when I was little, but that doesn't mean I'm qualified for something like this!"

Still, steeling herself, she read the rest of the information. _At the end of the competition, scheduled for conclusion on January 29, the winner of the Uchiha Zaibatsu Invitational Tournament will receive the grand prize of one wish being granted, as far as it is within the company's power to grant it._

"Hmm…one wish being granted, huh…" Sakura thought about that long and hard.

**OoOoO**

"One wish? There's only one wish I'd love to have that the Uchiha Zaibatsu can surely give me—that their darling boy Sasuke-kun should become my boyfriend!" Ino declared, with hearts in her eyes. "Yosh! There's no way they'll refuse me that—it's in the invitation, after all!"

Clearing her throat and calming herself, she read further in her invitation. _For the purposes of your qualifier match, you are required to make contact with your designated opponent and schedule a time convenient to both of you, between the time you receive this invitation and January 28._

**OoOoO**

_You will schedule your preliminary qualifier match to be held at… _Next to that, in handwritten block-letters on a printed line, were the words KONOHA TOWN YOUTH CENTER GYM.

"…I see." Shino adjusted his sunglasses slightly.

**OoOoO**

"Okay…so my designated fight space is where Naruto and that chick had their fight on Sunday, huh…" Choji read his invitation. "Atop the waterfall…eh, not a bad place to fight…"

_Your designated opponent will be… _"Wait, WHAT?" he exclaimed when he saw the name.

**OoOoO**

Sai scanned his invitation thoroughly. "I see…so this is what it's all about, eh? Well…" He looked again at the name of his designated opponent. "Hmm. So now I have to find out who my opponent is, starting tomorrow…this isn't a name that is familiar to me…but perhaps one of the other students who've been coming to my art lessons, maybe they'd know…"

Setting the invitation to one side, he turned back to the empty canvas and dipped his brush into a cup of red paint, from which he began to paint his newest portrait. But even as he painted, the name of his designated opponent on the invitation still ran afresh through his mind.

**OoOoO**

"You…invited that boy…to our dinner party next month?" Hiashi asked Neji slowly.

"Hear my logic, Uncle Hiashi," said Neji. "Naruto-kun desires to come to the party so he can impress Dr. Haruno's daughter. However, since this party is all about the elites of high society, he will surely make a fool of himself somehow—whether in his table manners or social graces, or even in his manner of dress. And I'll have Kabuto on hand with a camera, to record every humiliating moment, to post it all on our social media sites afterward. Naruto-kun will be so utterly disgraced, he won't ever think of having anything to do with anyone bearing the Hyuga name again."

Hiashi frowned. "I see your intention, Neji, but you do realize that this party is one I hold in order to establish and reaffirm my connections in the business community, don't you? Any public embarrassment that happens there, even if it doesn't happen to any of us personally, will reflect badly on me as the host."

"Ah, but not if you tell all your other guests beforehand that they'll get to see a fellow of lower social status humiliate himself trying to elevate himself higher for the sake of a girl," said Neji. "Even the rich and famous like to witness a scandal here and there—and which upper-crust member of society doesn't like to watch the occasional court jester act? And…once Hinata sees him for the fool he is, she'll have to rethink how she feels about him."

"Mmm." Hiashi digested that last bit of information. "So…you give him enough time…and enough rope to hang himself…"

"…and I'll even specially tailor his particular invitation to humiliate him further, if needs be," Neji finished.

Hiashi nodded. "I see. Very well, Neji—let's see how this turns out, shall we?"

"Quite so, Uncle." Neji nodded back.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 18

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: On reflecting on the last couple chapters, I realized something—considering the injuries Naruto inflicted on Mizuki's gang in the first chapter, it would be rather unrealistic to have Dosu, Zaku and Kin recover as quickly as they did by the time Chapter 13 came around. Well, I'll just say that their desire for revenge on Naruto gave them the will to heal faster, just like how it's postulated that the will to live is what keeps people going and keeps their endurance levels high. Mind over matter and all that, right?

Also, a recent review said that too many people know Naruto's secret re his past as a member of the Kyuushingai; by my count, at least 23 people know about that by now. Admittedly, that's a lot, but that's certainly not the entire cast of characters or the entire population of Konoha Town. As well, I'm thinking of one of the anime series that I'm drawing inspiration from, _Rurouni Kenshin,_ where the titular character's past was only a secret from the general population and was only a secret from important named characters when the plot actually required it; that is the same tack I'm taking with Naruto here, but I will try to keep it limited from here on out as to who among the minor characters knows.

Now…a tournament arc is coming up! And Chapter 19 will see the start of it—coming up next!


	19. One Night, Three Fights

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 19 – One Night, Three Fights**

7:45, later that evening, at the Yamanaka household…

"Hello, Yamanaka residence, Yamanaka Inoichi speaking," Mr. Yamanaka answered the phone. "Ah, Ino? Sure, just a moment…who should I say, please? All right, one sec…Ino!" he called, cupping the phone's mouthpiece. "You've got a phone call!"

Ino, helping her mother to stack the dishes from dinner into the sink, looked up curiously. "Coming, Dad! Who is it?" she asked, drying her hands quickly on her skirt as she hurried to where her father stood waiting.

"Your schoolmate, Haruno Sakura," Mr. Yamanaka replied, handing her the phone.

Ino's grip on the phone tightened when she heard that. _Sakura? That big-forehead? What the hell does she think she's doing, calling my house? _"Hello?" she spoke hesitantly into the mouthpiece.

"_Howdy-do, Miss Piggy," _Sakura's voice came over the line in a taunting manner. _"I got a little invitation from the Uchiha Zaibatsu for a little tournament they're having this weekend. It said I was supposed to call you."_

"Yeah…I got one, too, and it said to call you. But I was going to wait until tomorrow, since I always see you at school anyway—not that you give me a choice in that matter." Ino's voice was low, even as she darted her gaze to the kitchen where both her parents were engaged in washing the dishes and chatting to one another. "How'd you get this number, anyway? I don't remember giving it to you, of all people, forehead-girl."

"_You're in the phonebook—duh," _said Sakura, and Ino could visualize the other girl rolling her eyes over the phone. _"Anyway, I'm quite glad you're my designated opponent, Ino-pig. There clearly wasn't going to be enough room for both of us at the official tournament launch."_

"So you decided to just get it out of the way, right?" said Ino. "Well, guess what? If you ask nicely, right now, I'll consider letting you get by with a forfeit so you won't have to embarrass yourself. Your head will be too obvious a target for my foot, anyhow."

"_Forfeit? And let you get the grand prize of one wish granted by the Uchiha Zaibatsu? In your dreams, you sow," _Sakura said venomously. _"Now, let's get down to business, shall we? The invitation says our match is to be at the front courtyard of the Uchiha Zaibatsu building. I'll be going there soon—at least a certain hot boy will get to see me grind your face into the dust."_

"Oh, yeah? Well, guess what, Forehead Mountain?" Ino sneered. "I intend to use my wish to make Sasuke-kun my boyfriend after this tournament's over, so I'm definitely not going to lose to you if his family company is the venue for our fight."

"_Sasuke-kun? YOUR boyfriend? Ha! Now that's the joke of the decade!" _said Sakura. _"Now I definitely want to beat the crap out of you more than ever!"_

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be there in twenty minutes, tops—but you better prepare to become a punching bag!" Ino then hung up the phone without allowing Sakura a chance to respond. "Ah, Mom, Dad, sorry, but I need to go out for a bit! I'll be back in another hour or so!" she called.

"Going out? At this hour?" her mother called back from the kitchen. "What's happened all of a sudden?"

"I just need to meet with Sakura to hash out something," said Ino. "Don't worry, this won't take me too long, I hope!" Then she turned and dashed to her room to ready herself.

**OoOoO**

Exactly twenty minutes later, Ino—clad in a green leather jacket, black jeans-shorts and sneakers—rode up on her bicycle to the entrance of the imposing Uchiha Zaibatsu building, a five-storey-tall structure built out of steel and black marble. Above the immediate entrance was a large sign with the Uchiha business logo, the red circle with a smaller black dot in the middle and three black designs around that one black dot. Ino had passed by the place many, many times before, but now, as though for the first time, she beheld the building with a sense of wonder. "Oh…"

At the front of the courtyard were three security guards, all dressed in black suits and wearing stern expressions on their faces. "Hey, miss, can we help you?" one of them spoke up.

"Uh, yeah, sorry," Ino replied. "I'm Yamanaka Ino. I was told to come here for my qualifying fight for the Uchiha Zaibatsu Invitational Tournament," and she waved her invitation in one hand.

The guards approached her, and one of them took the invitation and examined it. "Ah, yes, this tournament was organized by Sasuke-sama himself," the guard commented. "Yes, this invitation is legit. But what about your opponent?"

"The opponent's right here!" another voice called out. As the group turned to look in the direction of the shout, they beheld a pink-haired girl, clad in a sleeveless blue tank-top with matching blue jogging pants and sneakers, running toward them.

Ino scowled. "Hmph. So she arrives."

Approaching them, Sakura pulled out her invitation. "Haruno Sakura, reporting for my qualifying fight," she announced, while sparing Ino a scathing look.

The guard who'd examined Ino's invitation now took Sakura's and scrutinized it. "Yes, the same markings are present here," he declared a moment later. "So both of you are ready to fight, then. You don't waste time, do you?"

"No," Ino said shortly, parking her bicycle on its stand before getting off and flexing her shoulders.

"Very well, then. We will act as your referees for your battle, in standing with Sasuke-sama's instructions," one of the other guards told the girls, even as he and his fellow guards stepped back to allow the girls room. "We will time you for your match; 100 seconds, as according to your given instructions. When you are ready, let us know."

"I'm as ready as can be," Sakura said boldly. "So, little piggy, ready to get stuffed on a stick?" she needled Ino, even as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of blue fingerless gloves, slipping them on with deliberate slowness.

Ino, however, merely smirked. "The only stick I want to be stuffed on is the one you're never going to get," and she nodded her head at the Uchiha symbol above the building's entrance.

The statement's meaning was not lost on Sakura, who blushed fiercely. "Why, you…! That does it!" she exploded, fangs in her mouth and her eyes wide and pupil-less. "I've put up with you long enough, Ino-hog! It's time for me to put you out of my misery!"

"Good luck with that." Ino turned her head to the guards. "Start that timer, boys!"

As one, the three guards synchronized the timers on their watches. "Timers set…begin!"

Sakura began promptly, dashing at Ino before jumping into a flying kick at the blond girl's head. Ino ducked, however, and Sakura went sailing right over her; spinning quickly, Ino lifted one foot and kicked the pink-haired girl in the behind, sending her stumbling. "For the girl who bested me academically last year, you suck at protecting your own butt," Ino teased.

"Why, you little swine!" Sakura screamed, flinging one leg forward in a kick at Ino's head. Ino ducked again, avoiding the kick—but seconds later she felt the bottom of Sakura's shoe in her face as the other girl abruptly shot her leg down, kicking her opponent to the concrete. Stunned from the kick, Ino barely managed to roll aside in time as Sakura sent a fist flying down at her, connecting with the ground instead.

Jumping back to her feet, Ino sent several jabbing punches at Sakura's face. Sakura quickly blocked those, though, and on swatting away one punch with her left hand she spun on the spot and bent her left arm at the elbow, using the elbow to strike Ino in the chest. As Ino recoiled from the elbow-strike, Sakura sent her left fist up at an angle, hitting the blond in the mouth, and then followed up with a full-power right hook, striking Ino clear in the jaw and sending her stumbling badly.

"**Counter-Strike,** I call that maneuver," Sakura announced.

Ino gingerly put a hand to her lips, flinching as she felt stinging pain where Sakura had struck her on the mouth. Removing her hand, she flinched again as she saw blood on her fingertips. "Not bad," she admitted, "but there's no way I'm losing to you!"

"Then stop yapping and prove it," Sakura challenged, giving a come-here gesture with her hand.

Ino readied herself again, scowling deeply. _I hate to admit it, but I'm not off to a good start…already she's gotten in a couple of good shots, and unless I somehow even the odds, they'll award her the match based on performance! Well…_ Her eyes narrowed and her fists tightened. _She's not the only one here who can use tactics…I'll show her a thing or two of my own!_

Dashing forward, she swung her left fist toward Sakura's face, but Sakura nimbly ducked underneath the punch even as Ino's upper body spun with the momentum of the missed attack—and her lower body followed seconds later, her right leg shooting upward and catching the unprepared Sakura right underneath the chin. Sakura's whole head jerked violently from that assault, and her lower jaw felt as though it'd been knocked out of line; hence, staggering momentarily, she was unprepared for Ino's follow-up spinning kick with her left leg seconds later, catching her on her collarbone and knocking her face-first to the ground.

Wincing as her face got scraped on the gravel, nonetheless Sakura pulled herself back to her feet and lunged forward with a left punch at Ino's chest. Ino saw the punch coming and swatted it away—and she paid for that tactic seconds later as Sakura sent her other fist right into the blond girl's ribs. Not to be outdone, though, Ino wrapped her left arm around Sakura's right wrist, then pulled back her own right hand and sent it, palm open, into Sakura's face. Sakura's eyes filled with involuntary tears as the blow to her nose stung her, but she managed to free her arm and roughly shoved Ino away from her.

Ignoring the sting of pain in her side where Sakura had hit her, Ino rushed at her opponent again, swinging her arm in another punch to the face. This time, Sakura put up an arm to forcibly block the punch—but then Ino opened her fist and grabbed a whole handful of Sakura's pink hair, violently yanking the other girl's head to one side. Shrieking in shock and pain, Sakura could barely react as Ino reached forward with her other hand, gripped the pink hair, and pulled with all her strength, dragging Sakura to the ground.

"Ow! Let go, dammit!" Sakura screeched, reaching up with both hands to hold her hair lest it be pulled out at the roots from Ino's none-too-gentle handling.

"Okay." Ino let go of her right-handed grip of Sakura's hair—and balled that hand into a fist, raising it up and slamming it full-tilt into Sakura's mouth. Blood-spatter flew from Sakura's lips as the blow connected, but Ino raised her fist again and this time brought it down on Sakura's nose, smashing it and causing more blood to flow over the other girl's face.

"Uhh…" Sakura was in a daze now, lying senselessly on the ground, dirty, bloody and battered.

"TIME!" the guard-referees called out. "The match is over! Winner of this preliminary qualifier fight: Yamanaka Ino!"

Ino released her other hand's grip on Sakura's hair, allowing the other girl's head to flop down and join the rest of her body; she then flashed the victory sign at the men. "Damn right…" And then she flinched and held her ribs and jaw with her hands. "Okay, now I can start feeling sore…ow…"

Coughing on the ground, Sakura tightly held her swollen face with one hand even as she slowly raised herself up with the other. "Ungh…crap…I lost…to a bitch like you…" she glowered through her battered lips, before slipping back to the ground as the pain intensified.

"Well, deal with it," Ino said tartly.

The guards now walked up. "All right, ladies, come inside and we'll get you patched up," said one of them. "It won't do to send you home as battered as you are."

"Yeah…thanks…" Sakura didn't resist as one of the guards helped her to her feet, and then she rested her weight on him as they, the other two guards, and Ino all walked toward the Uchiha Zaibatsu entrance.

**OoOoO**

Elsewhere in Konoha Town, at that very moment…

Shino, clad in a red hooded parka and red cloth jogging pants, stood quietly in the middle of the boxing ring at the youth center's gym, the same ring where Naruto and Kiba had previously had their confrontation over Hinata. Standing nearby was a black-suited man with a stern expression on his face. "Your assigned opponent is late, Aburame-kun," the man commented.

"He will show up," Shino said simply.

Just then, the gym doors banged open, and a moment later in strode Kiba, wearing a green-and-orange hooded jacket and dark-green jeans. "Whew, sorry to be late—I had to leave dinner for my mom and sis before I could step out, since they're both working the late shift," he announced, waving his invitation in one hand. "But Inuzuka Kiba is in the house at last…and no crowd? Aw, man, what a bother."

"This tournament was not exactly publicly announced," said Shino, his sunglasses flashing slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that much," Kiba sighed, as he handed his invitation to the referee.

The suited man examined Kiba's invitation, then compared it to Shino's which had already been handed in to him. "All the markings from Sasuke-sama are there, in place," he declared a while later. "Then you are both cleared to have your match. When you are ready, give the word."

"Right!" Kiba climbed into the ring, standing opposite from Shino a minute later. "So, ready to rumble?" he asked, doing a little shadowboxing.

"We can begin," Shino nodded.

"Good! Then I can get back home before Mom and Hana do and realize I've gone out without permission!" Kiba grinned.

"Do you have to inform them of every move you make?" Shino raised an eyebrow.

"Well, they've always been pretty overprotective of me," Kiba admitted.

"In that case, I'll try not to bruise you…too much," said Shino, and now he readied himself into a fighting stance. "Start the timer, Mr. Referee."

The referee did so, on his watch. "Timer set…begin!"

"ORAAA!" Kiba roared, rushing forward and flinging a punch at Shino's head. Shino easily ducked to avoid the attack, however, and dashed behind his opponent before turning to face the other boy. Not to be deterred by his failed assault, Kiba spun around and rushed at Shino again, throwing several jabbing punches at his opponent's torso. In turn, Shino slapped away Kiba's attacking fists, then grabbed and slightly lifted Kiba's arm when the other boy threw yet another punch at him—then followed up by sending one leg into the back of Kiba's knee, forcing Kiba to collapse on his side. Shino then swiftly twisted Kiba's wrist, causing Kiba to flinch and cry out in pain.

"I learned how to do submission tactics to bring down opponents," Shino said calmly. "One wrong move, and I can break your wrist with ease. Or…" He casually rested one foot on Kiba's shoulder-joint. "I can pop your entire arm out of place. You'll be severely handicapped, and then I'll win anyway. Your only recourse now is to swallow your pride and surrender."

From where he was pinned on the ring's canvas, Kiba managed to shoot an incredulous glare up at Shino. "You'd seriously break my arm?" he exclaimed, trying to shift his position—but Shino's slight further twist of his wrist checked his movement altogether. "Yeeeeouch!"

"I do not believe in bluffing." Shino's tone was still calm, but there was no masking the gravity in his words. "I would rather not have to force you to sacrifice your arm; but if you press the matter further, I will. What will you do?"

"Ungh…" Kiba raised his free hand and tapped the canvas. "I give up."

The referee stopped the timer. "Winner of this preliminary qualifier fight via surrender of opponent: Aburame Shino!"

Shino promptly released Kiba's arm, and Kiba drew his arm in to his chest as he rolled over on his back. "Whew…you really don't play around when you fight…" Kiba whispered.

"My apologies. I had to find some way to end the fight quickly, with as little damage to both our persons as possible," said Shino. "At least now we've both saved a trip to the hospital, and you can get home before your mother and sister get off their respective work shifts and find you gone."

"Yeah…yeah." Kiba stood up. "But really, dude, where'd you learn to grapple like that? I gotta take lessons sometime!"

"I watched a lot of TV when I was younger. And I have a good memory." Shino was as cool as ever.

**OoOoO**

"Oi, where are you? Have you gotten here already?" Choji, clad in a blue-and-white checkered T-shirt and blue shorts, hollered loudly as he walked up the hill to the top of the waterfall.

Two men in black suits, standing by two cars with their headlights on to provide light for the area, observed the boy's approach. "And you are?" one of them spoke up.

"Oh, are you guys involved with this tournament thingy? I'm Akimichi Choji, a participant," and Choji offered up his invitation. "Where's the other guy? Hasn't he reached here yet?"

One of the men stepped forward and inspected the invitation. "Everything checks out," he reported. "But no, your opponent hasn't arrived yet."

"Oi, scratch that—he's here now," the other suited man spoke up, pointing down the hill.

Approaching them was a skinny teen dressed in a sleeveless yellow T-shirt and yellow shorts—Shikamaru. "Oh, Choji, you're here," he remarked. "Man, what a bother…I get this stupid invitation to this stupid tournament, then I find out that the opponent I've been put up against is one of my best buds, and now I just had to convince my folks to let me out of the house so I could come here."

"Please let us see your invitation for verification," one of the men addressed him.

Sighing, Shikamaru handed over the invitation to the man, who perused it carefully. "Yes, this invitation is legit," the man said a moment later. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Gee…I don't know…" Choji looked discomfited. "I really don't wanna have to fight Shika…I mean, he's my friend…"

"Can't one of us just surrender and then you guys can have the other advance to the next round? It'll be too troublesome to fight Choji without it getting to me," said Shikamaru.

The two suits looked at each other. "Hmm…Sasuke-sama's instructions don't seem to cover this kind of situation," said one.

"Wait a moment, I'll settle this," said the other, and he pulled out a cell-phone and speed-dialed a number. Holding the device to his ear, he waited a moment while the others looked at him expectantly. "Ah, yes, Sasuke-sama…I'm at the designated fight site for Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji. They are reluctant to fight each other, sir, and have suggested that one of them might forfeit…eh? Ah, yes, sir, I understand…I will put you on speaker." He then touched a button on the phone and held it up toward the two boys. "Go ahead, Sasuke-sama."

"_Shikamaru, Choji—you two can hear me, right?"_ Sasuke's voice came over the phone.

"Oi, Sasuke, what's the big idea, pitting me against my friend like this?" Shikamaru complained.

"Yeah, Sasuke, I don't feel comfortable fighting Shikamaru, even with the grand prize your invitation offers at the end of this competition," said Choji. "Can't one of us just surrender and let the other go forward instead? Or maybe we flip a coin or something?"

Sasuke's sigh came through clearly over the phone. _"I can appreciate your reluctance in this, guys, but let me ask you this. Would you be saying the same thing if your respective opponents were different people?"_

"It would still be troublesome either way," Shikamaru grunted.

"Well, if it was somebody else, I don't think I'd have an issue," Choji admitted.

"_Perhaps I can make a suggestion that is feasible to both of you," _said Sasuke. _"Why don't you just treat this as a sparring match, with nothing on the line for either of you? And if you both agree, after your match is over I'll give both of you tickets to a preliminary screening of the new __**Shadow Fox**__ film coming out in theaters next weekend—complementary food and drinks included."_

"Wh-what? The new _Shadow Fox_ movie?" Shikamaru started.

"With food and drinks included?" Choji was immediately all ears.

"_That's the most highly-anticipated movie out of all those that will be showing in theaters soon, as I'm sure you're both well aware,"_ said Sasuke. _"But before it comes out then, there's going to be a special screening for film critics the Thursday evening before…and there's going to be a buffet line for the critics as well, all-you-can-eat."_

"WE ACCEPT!" Shikamaru and Choji shouted simultaneously, punching the air triumphantly.

"_Very well, then. Make your spar count, fellows." _And with a chuckle, Sasuke cut off the call.

"Okay, Choji, now I feel better about this! We spar, and we both still win!" Shikamaru was grinning now as he readied himself into a fighting stance. "Let's make the most of this, what do you say?"

"Whenever you're ready, Shikamaru!" Choji crowed. "Let's go, you guys!" he cried to the referees.

"Very well, then." The man with the cell-phone now pocketed the device and adjusted his watch to start the timer. "Now, timer set…begin!"

"Let's go! For the _Shadow Fox_ movie and the food!" Choji roared, barraging toward Shikamaru with surprising speed for his girth. Shikamaru immediately put both hands up, ready to protect himself from the incoming assault—but, to his shock, Choji instead wrapped his arms around the skinnier boy's midsection in a crushing bear-hug.

"Gggngh…" Shikamaru winced as he felt the wind being pressed out of him and his sides starting to hurt as a result of Choji's gradually-tightening hug.

"So, Shika? You could always give up now," Choji suggested, even as his hug tightened more.

"Grrr…get your head out of your gut and focus!" Shikamaru snapped, lifting one hand and bringing it down in a hard chop to one of Choji's elbows. Letting out a surprised cry, Choji briefly released his hold on Shikamaru, who immediately pushed him away before bounding backwards and out of his friend's reach. "Whew…" Shikamaru immediately took a moment to catch back his breath. "Damn, you're really strong!"

"Of course! I don't eat all the food I eat for nothing, you know!" Choji boasted, patting his chest with one fist. "I might not be as athletic as most guys, but I still put my big-boned body to good use!"

_That's definitely no exaggeration, _Shikamaru thought to himself. _He could've broken my ribs with that bear-hug if he was of a mind to._

"Come on!" Choji's voice broke Shikamaru out of his musing as the bigger-bodied boy charged at him again. Reacting swiftly, Shikamaru jumped to one side to avoid Choji's lunging hands; unfazed, Choji simply spun in Shikamaru's direction and charged at him again. Again Shikamaru dodged to one side to avoid Choji, and again Choji turned and galloped headlong at his friend even as Shikamaru once more moved out of the way.

_Time to put a stop to this,_ Shikamaru thought to himself as Choji charged forward—and then, to Choji's surprise, the skinny boy charged forward too. Choji's arms came round to trap Shikamaru in another bear-hug…but Shikamaru went into a body-slide that carried him right between Choji's legs, and in the process he sent both fists striking out at the back of Choji's knees. Wincing at the feeling of nerve-pain from being struck there, Choji lost his balance, stumbled forward, and fell on his face, even as Shikamaru quickly rolled to his own feet and stood up again.

"Ouch…" Choji grimaced and rolled over onto his back, flinching as the still-fresh nerve pain in the back of his knees hit him again. He sought to pull himself up on one knee, and flinched as he gingerly managed to do so. "Uh-uh…looks like I'm at my limit all of a sudden…"

Shikamaru trotted over to where Choji kneeled, and rapped the other boy on the head with his knuckles. "If this was a serious fight, this is where you'd be dead. Even a big body like yours can still fall, if the right spots are hit," he said.

"Yeah? Well, even if this is still considered a spar, I'll do this—" Choji suddenly shot his open palm into Shikamaru's midsection, knocking his opponent back slightly. "—and chastise you for dropping your guard against your opponent."

"Touché." Shikamaru, holding his middle, chuckled in spite of himself. "My bad, Choji."

"Time!" the guard with the timer announced. "Winner of this preliminary qualifier fight: Nara Shikamaru!"

"…Shikamaru, huh?" Choji wobbled to his feet, gingerly kicking out his legs to ease the lingering nerve-pain from having been struck there. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised they made that decision…it was based on tactics, not just brute strength."

"Yeah. If it was a question of pure strength, you'd have clearly gotten the win. I just managed to out-strategize you, that's all." Shikamaru straightened up and held out his hand to Choji. "As far as I'm concerned, though, the result of this spar is a draw."

"Yep…same here." Choji grinned and accepted Shikamaru's hand, shaking it warmly. "Well, all the best in the rest of the tournament, eh, Shika? Maybe I can come and cheer you on when the time comes."

Shikamaru nodded. "And after that…we get to see the _Shadow Fox_ movie before anyone else in this town does!" he declared with an equal grin of his own.

"Yeah! Rock on to that!" Choji pumped his fist into the air victoriously.

**OoOoO**

Uchiha Sasuke stood at the window of the living room of the family mansion, looking out at the moonlight shining down on the huge swimming pool situated just below his position, hands in his pockets and his facial expression impassive. "Speak," he spoke without turning around.

At the doorway, directly behind Sasuke, the servant bowed his head slightly. "Sasuke-sama, three of the qualifier fights for your tournament have been held within the last hour. Yamanaka Ino, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru are set to enter the official tournament, this coming Saturday evening."

"And the fourth fight?" Sasuke asked.

"No word on that fight as yet, sir," said the servant.

"Very well. They'll still have time to get that one over with, anyway." Sasuke paused a moment. "Have the four other selected candidates for the main tournament been contacted as yet?"

"We have made contact with them," the servant affirmed. "They are scheduled to meet with you at the Uchiha Zaibatsu building, tomorrow afternoon at 5:00."

"Good. Very good. Then once that is settled, all that will be left to do is to see how that last fight turns out…and then the real game can begin." Sasuke nodded. "That is all."

"Hai, Sasuke-sama." The servant bowed slightly, and then turned and left Sasuke still standing at the window, looking out into the night.

**OoOoO**

"Aww…I can't figure out who this is!" Naruto growled, shaking his invitation in frustration. "Oh, I know—maybe Ino would know! Oh…but…" He stopped short, crestfallen. "I wonder if she's still talking to me, after our argument today…oh, brother, what to do…"

Sighing, he sat down on the edge of his bed and pondered what to do. "You know what…maybe I ought to go out for a jog…yeah, that should help me clear my head…"

So saying, he went over to his closet and picked out a red windbreaker and a pair of brown sweatpants. Lacing on a pair of red sneakers, he trotted downstairs. "Hey, Mom, I'll be back in a bit…I'm going jogging," he announced to his mother, who was sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Jogging, are you?" Kushina eyed him. "Are you sure you'll be all right?"

"Don't worry, Mom, I'm just going to go around to Ino's dad's store and then come right back here," Naruto assured her. "I just need a little air, is all."

"All right, sweetheart," Kushina said with a small smile. "Just try and stay out of trouble now, okay?"

"I gotcha," and with that Naruto headed out the front door, down the walkway, and soon he was jogging at a comfortable pace along the sidewalk. "Whew…breeze's cold tonight," he whispered to himself, putting his hands in his pockets as he ran.

**OoOoO**

A little distance away from Naruto's house, Iruka and Ibiki sat in their squad car, watching as the blond boy jogged along the sidewalk. "Is this really necessary, Morino-san? Chief Inuzuka has already lifted the order for us to do surveillance on him," said Iruka.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Ibiki.

"You still don't trust Naruto-kun, do you?" Iruka eyed the other man.

"I prefer to call it 'being optimistically cautious'," said Ibiki. "Nothing unusual has happened yet, to be sure, but that kid is a former member of the Kyuushingai—anything could happen one day, if we let our guard down even for a moment."

"So you intend to pass by his house like this every night when we're going home?" Iruka wanted to know.

"Purely coincidental that his house happens to be along our route to go home, that's all," Ibiki said smoothly, as he now started the car and turned it in the direction opposite of where Naruto had gone.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 19

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: All right, I confess. This tournament arc and the designs of the participants' outfits are directly based on the _Street Fighter 2_ video game series. Consequently, Sakura's appearance was based on Chun Li; Ino was a female Guile; Shikamaru was Dhalsim minus the stretchiness; Choji was E. Honda; Kiba was Blanka; and Shino was Zangief. Now, one more qualifier match in the Uchiha Zaibatsu Invitational Tournament remains…and it will be dealt with in the next chapter, without fail!

I will admit, the fight between Ino and Sakura was the most brutal of the three shown in this chapter, and yet I feel it perfectly illustrates how deeply their enmity with each other runs in this story; as the plot progresses I'll try and explore their rivalry a little further. Shino's quick victory over Kiba was, I think, in line with his canon personality and battle strategy…and re Shikamaru and Choji's dilemma, I wanted to show Sasuke as being rather cool in personality, but not totally unreasonable (unlike a certain "Sauce-Kay" as depicted by certain events which I don't follow too closely anymore these days).

Next chapter—Naruto and Sai meet in person!


	20. The New Challengers

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 20 – The New Challengers**

"…and I'm done!" Sai announced brightly.

It was another lunch period on another Wednesday afternoon, and he had just finished doing a pencil-sketch of Hinata. Ino, looking over Sai's shoulder, looked at the sketch, then at Hinata, and then at the sketch again. "Wow, Hinata-san, it really looks like you!" she cried.

"Really?" Hinata got up from where she'd been sitting for her sketch-pose and came around to see the drawing. "Oh…it's so realistic!" she remarked, her eyes lighting up with pleasure.

The other students who were standing around immediately began to chatter among themselves as they likewise shared their appreciation of Sai's talent. "Hey, Sai-kun, do my portrait next, would you?" a random girl spoke up.

"No, mine!" another girl rebutted.

"Sorry, everyone, but I haven't had lunch yet, so I need to go get it now," Sai apologized as he started to pack up his art tools. "But tell you what—why don't you come by here tomorrow at the same time? I'll see how many sketches I can do in that time—and I'll bring lunch with me so I won't have to leave so early."

"It's a promise, Sai-kun!" the girls all exclaimed.

Sai took up Hinata's sketch and gave it to the actual Hyuga. "Here you are, Hyuga-san," he said pleasantly.

"Ah—th-thank you," said Hinata, blushing as she accepted the artwork.

"I can wait for when it'll be my turn to get a sketch!" Ino chuckled, looking at Hinata's sketch once more.

Sai slung his bag over his shoulder—and then paused, as though just remembering something. "Ah, by the way, I almost forgot to ask," he spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. "Does anyone here know a boy by the name of Uzumaki Naruto?"

Immediately the other students looked at each other, and then some shook their heads or shrugged. "Sorry, Sai-kun, we don't know who that is," one of the boys admitted.

Ino, meanwhile, blinked as Sai's question registered. Then she scowled. "Sai-kun, I know him," she addressed the pale-skinned boy. "He's easy to spot—blond hair and whisker-marks on the cheeks."

"Ah, is that so?" said Sai. "Hmm, I believe I've seen a person with that description around before. I would like to meet him as soon as possible."

Ino sniffed disdainfully. "Begging your pardon, Sai-kun, but why do you want to meet that guy? He's nothing but a shallow-minded idiot."

"Eh? Ino-san?" Hinata stared at her friend in bewilderment.

"Perhaps, but even so I still would like to see him," said Sai. "I need to talk to him about something, that's all."

"Oh, is that all?" said Ino. "Well, in that case, after dismissal today come out and meet me at the front gate. I'll introduce you—then you'll get to see for yourself what a selfish moron he is."

"Um, okay…" Sai gave Ino a curious look.

"Excuse us, Sai-kun," said Hinata, and then she grabbed Ino's wrist and dragged the other girl out of the art room while Sai and the other students looked on in puzzlement.

**OoOoO**

"Hey, Hinata, ease up!" Ino exclaimed as Hinata pulled her along the corridor.

By and by they came upon an empty classroom, and Hinata pulled Ino into the room. "Ino-san, do you mind telling me what that was about just now? Why are you badmouthing Naruto-kun like how you just did?" Hinata demanded.

Ino rubbed her palm over her face. "Why? Because I'm pissed off at him, that's why," she said tartly.

Hinata blinked. "Did you two have a quarrel or something?"

"Yes, we did. Yesterday. About you," Ino informed her. On seeing Hinata's eyebrows shoot up, she continued, "Let me put it this way—after all the trouble I went through to get you in a position where you could confess to him, he with his ungrateful self just told me yesterday that he's planning to attend your family's dinner party next month, just so he can go and impress that big-forehead Sakura! Understand? He's practically throwing your confession back in your face because he's going ga-ga over Sakura!"

Hinata stared at Ino as the tirade ended in a brief moment of silence. Then she giggled. "Hee, hee…" She put a hand to her lips to try and stifle her laughter.

"Huh?" Ino stared at Hinata, dumbfounded.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Ino-san," said Hinata, though still she could barely hold back her laughter. "I'm not making fun of you or anything, please don't take it like that. It's just…to see you so fired up over pairing me and Naruto-kun…" and now she couldn't hold in her laughter anymore.

"Whaaaaa? But, but, but, but, but…!" Ino sputtered. "I don't get you, Hinata! Don't you want to be with Naruto?"

"Ahem. Well…the fact is…" Hinata shyly glanced to one side. "It's true that Naruto and I talked about that, the other day…but we both agreed that it should develop naturally—our friendship, that is. I mean, he and I have only just gotten to know each other, and it would be premature to just jump into a relationship like that, just because of a crush. And it's not unnatural for him to have a crush on someone else; I can at least appreciate that."

Ino looked frustrated. "But, Hinata—are you really all right with that? I mean, what if he falls in love with someone other than you?" she protested.

"Well…then at least, as long as Naruto-kun is happy, that is what matters most of all. And, true, I confessed to him…but he handled it reasonably, I think." Then Hinata's gaze turned steely. "Ino-san, may I ask you something, related to this?" she asked gravely.

"Eh? What is it?" Ino was puzzled at the inquiry.

Hinata's gray eyes bore into Ino's face. "Are you angry solely because Naruto-kun has shown a crush on someone other than me…or is it because the someone in question is Sakura-san?"

Now it was Ino's turn to blink, at the directness of the question. "Uh…I…"

"I think everybody knows about your dislike of Sakura-san by now, Ino-san," said Hinata. "But please, don't allow it to jeopardize your relationships with other people. As it relates to Naruto-kun, I know you two are close…please don't allow that to get cut down because of your own bad feelings for Sakura-san. I don't think that would make Naruto-kun happy at all."

"Hinata-san…" Ino's brow furrowed. "I wonder if you aren't being a little too nice…"

"At least think about what I've said, eh, Ino-san? For Naruto-kun's sake and mine." Hinata nodded at Ino, and then turned and left the room.

"Hinata-san…" Ino mused over what the other girl had just said to her.

**OoOoO**

The rest of the day passed quickly. By and by, the final bell rang for dismissal, and the students poured out of the various classrooms, Sai among them; he made his way to the front gate, as Ino had instructed him, and stood there quietly, looking around for any sign of the blond girl. Then, by and by he saw her approaching. "Ah, hello again, Ino-san," he greeted her.

"You're on time, Sai-kun," Ino smiled at him. "Well, now we wait—hopefully Naruto should show up shortly."

"Are you sure it's all right? You didn't seem pleased today when I brought him up for discussion," said Sai.

"Uh, yeah…about that…" Ino sheepishly scratched her cheek with one finger. "My bad about that. We had a quarrel yesterday, is all. I just let it linger longer than I should have."

"I see." Sai nodded understanding—and then his attention was caught by something else. "Ah, that would be…"

"Hmm?" Ino turned to look where Sai was indicating. "Oh, it's him! Hey, Naruto, over here!"

A few feet away, Naruto paused on hearing his name called. On seeing Ino, though, he frowned and turned away. Ino's eyes narrowed at this. "Naruto!" she exclaimed, running over to him and grabbing his arm.

Naruto locked an equally-narrow gaze on her. "Oh, I'm sorry, are we still talking to one another?"

Ino winced at Naruto's abrasive tone, but she didn't let go of his arm. "Naruto…will you at least hear me out? I actually wanted to talk about that…"

"So you can tell me what an idiot I am again?" Naruto asked brusquely.

"Actually, Hinata-san already basically did that to me," said Ino, smiling in spite of herself.

Naruto's expression changed at that. "Hinata?"

"Yeah. She told me to let you do your own thing, more or less." Ino looked him in the eye. "Look, Naruto…I admit I don't like the idea of you liking Sakura…" She weathered his hardening look. "But I was too harsh with you yesterday. And Hinata-san basically said the same thing you did—that you guys are just starting to know each other, and in the meantime you're both free to do what you want to do. If two people are saying the same thing and more, who am I to argue? So…" Again she gave him an intense look, though now she let go of his arm. "Forgive me?"

"Hmm…I don't know…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head with his free hand.

"I'll buy you a meal from Burger World, if that'll convince you," Ino suggested.

Naruto frowned some more as if in deep thought…and then a dopey grin broke out over his face. "Aw, what the hell. Sure I forgive you, you nutty girl!" he announced, patting her on the head.

"Right, you dope." Ino chuckled. "Oh—there's someone here I want you to meet. Sai-kun, come on over!"

"Glad to see you have made up and settled your differences," and now Sai walked over to the duo. "Naruto-kun, is it? I am Sai. Pleasure to meet you."

"Eh?" Naruto gave a puzzled look to the pale-skinned boy. "Where'd this guy come from?"

"He's a third-year student who's really good with art," said Ino. "He said he wanted to meet you, so I offered to introduce you guys."

Sai mentally decided not to mention the rather unsavory comments Ino had made about Naruto. "I had actually gotten hold of your name last evening, Naruto-kun," he commented. "From that time, I wanted to meet the person name Uzumaki Naruto. Fortunately, Ino-san knew the person in question."

"Uh-huh…" Naruto suddenly looked thoughtful. "Sai, right? I wonder…did you get—"

"An invitation from the Uchiha Zaibatsu? Yes, I did." Sai's smile didn't abate, but now his eyes bore intensely into Naruto's. "And it told me that, to qualify for the company's main tournament, I must challenge one Uzumaki Naruto, in the alley across the street from Burger Castle. And now…here you are, standing before me."

"Huh?" Ino looked from one to the other of them with surprise. "Sai-san? Naruto?"

Naruto looked Sai up and down. "I gotta admit, you don't really look like much of a fighter. How good are you?"

"Didn't Ino-san tell you? A little while back, I took down four morons who had the gall to destroy one of my paintings, all by myself," Sai told him. "Other than that, I usually try to stay out of trouble, but I can defend myself if I have to."

"Wait, wait, wait—Sasuke-kun sent you guys invitations too?" Ino exclaimed.

"What do you mean, 'too'?" Naruto asked her. "Oh—hold on—you were invited too, Ino?"

"Yeah," Ino admitted. "But I already had my match last night, and now I'm qualified for the main event Saturday evening."

"Hmm. Interesting," said Sai. "Then that likely means the others who have gotten invitations will have either completed their fights already, or will gear up to fight soon. So you and I cannot waste any time, Naruto-kun…we should settle our match as soon as possible."

"What time?" asked Naruto.

"6:00 should be good," said Sai. "And just to make it a little more interesting, how about a wager, Naruto-kun? The loser will buy food from Burger Castle for both the winner and Ino-san."

"Wait, Ino already said she was going to—" Naruto began.

"Actually, I like that arrangement!" Ino jumped in. "6:00 it is, Sai-kun! I'll make sure Naruto is there!"

"Wait, since when did you become such an opportunist?" Naruto demanded.

"Never mind, never mind, just hurry and let's get home and change for the main event this evening!" Ino said loudly, drowning out Naruto's protests as she pulled him through the school gates and off the school property.

Watching their departure, Sai chuckled to himself. "They have a good friendship, those two."

**OoOoO**

5:00 p.m., at the Uchiha Zaibatsu building.

"Thank you all for accepting my invitation," Sasuke addressed the four persons sitting in front of him. "I truly appreciate you making the time to come and see me."

"Oi, just cut to the chase, Uchiha. What do you want with us?" one of the visitors demanded.

"Hn." Sasuke smirked. "Right to the point, aren't we? All right, then, let's do just that…"

He appraised the four persons. "Hozuki Suigetsu," to the white-haired boy with shark-like teeth. "Tenbin Jugo," to the orange-haired, big-bodied boy. "Tamura Tenten," to the girl with twin buns in her brown hair. "Rokusho Aoi," to the older teen with the dark expression on his face.

"When your reps came calling, they said you wanted to give out an invitation to take part in your company's little tournament this Saturday night," said Tenten. "What I want to know is, why'd you pick us? You could've chosen anybody else out of this whole town, couldn't you?"

"Yes, I could have," Sasuke conceded. "However, I chose you four for a few particular reasons. One of those reasons will interest you very much, I suspect."

"And that would be?" Suigetsu asked.

Sasuke leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest, and allowed his smirk to get a little wider. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Tenten's eyes widened. Suigetsu's gaze narrowed. Aoi's scowl grew darker. Jugo merely looked on with a curious expression.

"You wonder what I'm talking about. Trust me, I have my ways and means of knowing things." Sasuke nodded. "Suigetsu, Aoi, you two want revenge on Naruto, don't you? Suigetsu, for the way Naruto humiliated you during that baseball practice…" His smirk grew some more as he saw Suigetsu unconsciously shifting his thighs together. "And Aoi, for the way Naruto beat up both you and your entourage in town and caused all of you to be kicked out of Konoha High School," and he noted Aoi gritting his teeth. "Tenten, you challenged Naruto to a fight the other day, but that fight ended rather…unsatisfactorily, shall I say? Therefore, a rematch with him would be something you'd not wish to pass up." And he noted how, though Tenten tried to keep her face a bit more neutral than before, the corner of her mouth tightened.

"And what about me? I have no quarrel with Naruto, nor have I fought him previously," Jugo spoke up.

"True on both counts," said Sasuke. "But you were present when Naruto, ahem, beaned your friend Suigetsu—and also when that Inuzuka Kiba challenged Naruto to a duel. Am I wrong to suggest that, perhaps, you'd like to at least test your strength against Naruto's, to see how well he'd do against you?"

"Then…that guy, Naruto…he's participating in this tournament, too?" Aoi said slowly.

"I sent him an invitation to take part," said Sasuke. "However, his match hasn't been fought yet. Still, I'm quite confident that with his level of skill," and here he cast a brief but meaningful glance at Tenten, "he'll make it into the next phase of the tournament, where you four will be matched up against the survivors of this round."

Tenten had not missed the look Sasuke gave her. "You _are _aware of his level of strength, aren't you?" she asked.

"Of course I am," Sasuke said dismissively. "But as strong as he may be, certainly he's not infallible. And if any of you can properly defeat him…then won't that mean you're the strongest around?"

Jugo leaned back in his chair. "You certainly seem interested in him yourself, Uchiha-san," he said respectfully. "Might I ask why that is?"

"I'm…somewhat like you, I guess, Jugo," and Sasuke shrugged. "I'd like to see for myself, just how strong Uzumaki Naruto really is, or what kind of power he's got to offer."

"Then why not just challenge him yourself?" asked Suigetsu.

Sasuke scoffed. "And leave out everyone else who might have an opportunity of besting him? Now I'd just be selfish if I did it like that, wouldn't I?"

"Hey, whatever your reasons are, they don't matter to me," Aoi spoke up. "Just for a chance to pay back that punk for disgracing me…if you want me in your little tournament, as long as it'll give me that opportunity to get back at him, then fine, I'm on board with it."

"So that's one. What about you three?" Sasuke asked the others.

"Hmm. A chance to wring his neck? Hey, I'm not passing that up either," and Suigetsu cracked his knuckles.

"I'll join your tournament too—but not for revenge, unlike these two boneheads," Tenten waved off Suigetsu and Aoi. "Even if I don't get to fight Naruto again, at least I can show my strength again, and let him know I haven't weakened."

"And you, Jugo?" Sasuke turned his attention to the other boy.

"Eh, why not," Jugo shrugged. "It should at least be interesting to see what Naruto's really made of."

Sasuke nodded and allowed a smile to come over his face. "Thank you all for your cooperation."

**OoOoO**

Later that evening…

"6:00," Sai checked his watch. "That means Naruto-kun should at least be on his way now…"

He was in the designated alley, across the street from Burger Castle, and with him was a man in a black suit. This man glanced up at the slowly-darkening sky. "It'll be late soon…you will not have much light in this area for your fight with Uzumaki Naruto," he commented.

"But I presume you'd have lighting provided in case of that, wouldn't you?" said Sai.

"True enough," the suit acknowledged. "In accordance with Sasuke-sama's instructions, all designated battle zones are equipped so that those who will oversee the fights can stay there for as long as needed, until the combatants show up and have their fights."

"Hmm. As expected of the Uchiha Zaibatsu," Sai remarked.

Approaching footsteps caught their attention, and they turned to the mouth of the alley. Immediately Sai smiled a little. "There you are."

Approaching them was Naruto, clad in the same red windbreaker, brown pants and red sneakers he'd worn the previous night. With him was Ino, clad in the green jacket she'd worn for her fight with Sakura, but now wearing a mini-skirt. "We're here," Ino announced.

The suit cocked an eyebrow. "You there, miss," he spoke to Ino, "didn't you already qualify for the tournament from last night? Why are you here now?"

"I came to watch these two guys fight. Aren't I allowed?" Ino asked him. "Don't worry, I won't interfere or anything."

"Hmm…well, as long as you promise to be quiet, I suppose it won't do any harm," the man conceded. "Now then…Uzumaki Naruto, right?" he addressed the blond boy. "Do you have your tournament invitation with you? If so, please hand it here."

"Yeah, I've got it," Naruto nodded, pulling the requested item out of his pocket and handing it to the suit. Then he turned to look at Sai. "Nice outfit."

Sai was clad in a blue-and-white jogging suit, in contrast to Naruto's red-and-brown getup. "You're not too badly dressed, yourself," Sai remarked. "At least if you get dirt on yours, it won't be as obvious."

In the meantime, the suit contrasted Naruto's invitation with Sai's which he'd already been given previously. "Very well, both check out," he said after a moment. "Gentlemen, whenever you're ready."

Ino stood next to the suit, taking a deep breath. "Do your best, guys," she spoke up.

"Right." Naruto nodded to her, then turned back to Sai. "Ready?"

Sai put up his hands in a combat pose. "Anytime you are, Naruto-kun."

"Ahem. All right, then." The suit checked his watch and readied the timer, thus taking on the role of referee. "Timer set…begin!"

Sai bent down in a crouch—then darted at Naruto with surprising speed. Eyes widening at the pale boy's agility, Naruto flung out his fist…but Sai ducked underneath and reached upward with his right hand, slapping the fist aside, and then countered with a left hand-thrust to the blond boy's side. Cringing as the blow hit home, Naruto had no time to react as Sai followed up with several more jabs to the torso and then ended with a palm-heel to the chin, knocking him off-balance and sending him falling into some nearby garbage cans.

_Damn—the guy's fast!_ Naruto's mind raged.

Quickly jumping back up, Naruto rushed forward at Sai, then jumped in the air in a spinning kick. Sai blocked the kick, but then countered by raising his knee to his chest and kicking Naruto in the stomach, sending him back to the ground again. Growling as he hit the ground, Naruto promptly jumped back up and flung his right arm in a cross-chop at Sai's neck—yet Sai ducked under the attack and flung his left leg out at Naruto's knee. Naruto saw the kick coming, though, and raised his leg to avoid it; he then stamped down on Sai's foot, bringing it to the concrete and pinning it there, before pulling both fists back and sending first one, then the other into Sai's face, knocking the older boy back on his rump.

"Hmph…better than I expected," Sai remarked, even as he wiped the spittle from his mouth and stood up again. "But I can still fight!" he added as, trotting forward a few steps, he jabbed forward with his left fist a few times at Naruto's face, all of which were swatted away. Sai then made to punch forward with his right fist, and Naruto prepared to move out of the way of the punch—but then he flinched as Sai again sent a left punch into his side, while his right fist—which had been a feint moments before—found its way into Naruto's jaw, knocking him down yet again.

"Whoa…Sai's good…" Ino breathed.

Tasting blood in his mouth from Sai's last punch, Naruto spat it out and stood again. "You're…definitely skilled," he told his opponent. "I was wrong to misjudge you before."

"Apology accepted," said Sai. "Now, come. We only have a few more seconds before our time is up."

Nodding, Naruto put his fists before him as he readied himself to fight once more. _Sai's strong, all right…that means I'll have to pull out every trick that'll work if I want to win this!_

Again he dashed forward, but this time he ducked down low and charged headfirst into Sai's stomach. Frowning at this tactic, Sai lifted one knee to strike Naruto in the face—but Naruto slapped the rising knee down hard with one hand even as he leaned further forward and sent his other elbow into Sai's gut. Gasping and doubling over slightly, Sai had no way to counter as Naruto forcefully thrust his own head upward, connecting with the pale boy's chin and rattling his teeth in the process. Then Naruto charged forward with his head in the same momentum, butting Sai in the forehead and knocking him off-balance.

Trying to steady himself, Sai barely had time to block as Naruto's right fist surged forward at his midsection—and then he cringed as the blond boy's left fist hit him dead-center in the face seconds later, crushing his nose. But even as fresh pain hit Sai and made his eyes watery, Naruto was still pressing forward, sending a right uppercut under Sai's chin that lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing to the ground on his back.

"Gah…by dose…" Sai grimaced, holding his battered nose as he struggled to stand up—but Naruto, without missing a beat, vaulted over him so that the two were standing back-to-back. Naruto then jabbed behind him with his elbows, hitting Sai in the back and sending him stumbling forward a few steps. Turning, Sai was unable to block or evade as Naruto spun and kicked him in the face with first one leg, then the other, and he in turn spun from the force of both kicks and landed facedown on the ground. Dizzied, Sai struggled to raise himself up on his hands…but disorientation swept over him and he stumbled and fell down again.

"Time!" the referee called out. "Winner of this preliminary qualifier match: Uzumaki Naruto!"

Ino immediately ran over to where Sai lay. "Sai-kun! Are you all right?" she asked urgently.

"Ow…" Sai pushed himself up by his hands, into a sitting position on the ground. "Dose…" he winced, pointing to his nose.

Cupping Sai's chin in her hand, Ino carefully looked at his nose. "It's not broken, just dislocated," she informed him. "I can set it back in place, but it's gonna hurt like hell. Stay steady, okay?"

"Yeah," Sai replied—then seconds later he yelped as Ino grabbed his nose and pulled in one direction, as a sickening _crack_ accompanied the movement. "Yaaah!"

"Told you it would hurt," Ino said dryly.

"Ungh…" Sai gingerly felt his nose, now back in place. "That's…that's gonna be sore a good while," he admitted.

Naruto, having been watching Ino's hasty first-aid method, now strode forward. "Hey, Sai. Can you stand?" he asked, holding his hand out for the other boy to take.

Sai considered the hand before him. "Yeah…thanks." He accepted it and let Naruto pull him to his feet, even as Ino stood to one side of him to steady him. "You're good, Naruto-kun. You're really good."

"Hey, you're a pretty decent fighter yourself," Naruto told him. "Where'd you learn to brawl like that?"

"When I was in my first year at Konoha High, I got picked on by bullies because I liked art. Naturally, I had to learn to defend myself at some point," said Sai. "And you?"

"Let's just say I had a really good set of teachers," Naruto chuckled.

The referee stepped forward. "Come with me, gentlemen," he addressed Naruto and Sai. "We'll tend to your injuries so you can have at least a little short-term relief."

"And then after that, as promised, Sai's gonna buy us dinner from Burger Castle!" Ino said with a grin.

"Yeah! Like I was going to let him forget that!" Naruto laughed.

"Hoo, boy, you really didn't intend to let me off the hook like that because I'm this beaten up, did you?" Sai sighed, though he managed a smile.

"Nope!" Naruto and Ino said together.

**OoOoO**

Once more, Sasuke sat in the darkness of the living room, and once more he did not move to turn around as the servant arrived at the doorway and stood in quiet waiting. "Speak," he said.

"The final preliminary qualifier has been completed, Sasuke-sama," said the servant. "The winner is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Mmm." Sasuke nodded. "Then all the players are now in their proper places." His eyes narrowed. "One, cool and methodical…one, brilliant but lazy…one, with dreams of love…one, desirous of demonstrating power…one, eager for a challenge…one, putting revenge before reason…one, malicious in hatred…and one, a bringer of destruction."

His mouth curved into a smirk. "Let the games begin."

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 20

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: Relationships. Gotta love 'em, right?

And with the _Street Fighter 2 _motif that I decided to model Sasuke's tournament around, one can well imagine that Naruto's get-up in this chapter is based on Ken, while Sai's is based on Ryu. But what about Sasuke's four new challengers—who will they be based on, if anyone? Just gotta wait and see.

And yes, just as I previously did with Tenten, I've given Jugo a surname for this story. His will be Tenbin, derived from his canonical nickname of Tenbin no Jugo, or Jugo of the Scales.

Now…Chapter 21 is up next!


	21. Comics and Complexity

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 21 – Comics and Complexity**

"_Good morning, good morning, good mooooooorrrrrrnnniiiiiiiinnnngggg, Konoha Town! It's 8:00 now, and it's time for another period of 'Words of the Mighty Guy' on this Thursday morning, January 26, with me, your host, Maito Guy!" _the radio announcer's voice blared on all available radios in the area. _"Now, I just have to make this observation—while I was coming in this morning, I saw a good number of the school-kids with copies of the latest publication of that wild, crazy, dynamic comic series, __**Shadow Fox!**__ That's right—the same superhero crime-fighter who they've made a movie out of, starring the beautiful and famous actress Fujikaze Yukie, which is set to open in theaters next weekend! Already the buzz is high here in Konoha Town, so imagine what it must be like elsewhere across the nation! Now, it's time for me to take your early-morning calls, my listeners…yes, we've got a call on Line 3! Hello, Line 3, what're your words today? What's your name, and where are you calling from?"_

"_Oi, Gai-san, I'm Matsuda, from Shimo City," _the caller spoke up. _"I'm here at the office, and already my coworkers are chattering all around me about the Shadow Fox movie! Everybody wants to go and see it! We've all gotten our tickets already, and we intend to be among the first 100 in line at our local cinema! We're even ready to camp out in front of the theater all night from the night before, if we have to!"_

"_Ah, is that so? Good for you!"_ Gai praised the caller. _"Well, thanks for calling, Matsuda-kun. Now then, any other callers? Yes, on Line 7…hello, Line 7?"_

"_Gai-san, I'm Imari from Yu City," _a female caller replied. _"I've been collecting the __**Shadow Fox**__ comics ever since…well, EVER! I just hope the movie is as good as the books!"_

"_As are all of us, I'm sure,"_ Gai beamed. _"Have you gotten your ticket for the movie yet, Imari-chan?"_

"_My boyfriend got tickets for both of us just yesterday!" _said the caller. _"And after we see the movie, he wants to buy me a Shadow Fox cosplay outfit…"_ and she giggled a little.

"_Ah, really? Ha-ha-ha-ha!" _Gai laughed aloud. _"Well, just don't have too much fun with that costume, if you know what I mean. All right, listeners, we're going to a brief break, and we'll be back in a few!"_

**OoOoO**

"Dude, check this out! The newest_ Shadow Fox _comic is at the comic shop now!"

"Awesome! And they've even got an ad about the new movie coming out soon!"

"Hey, check it out—it says the first 100 people in line for the movie at every theater on opening night will get a free Shadow Fox action figure, first-edition collector-mint!"

"Do you think they'll still be selling tickets today?"

"I definitely know who I'll be cosplaying as at the next comic convention…"

Such was the discussion buzzing among Naruto's schoolmates as he came to school. Most of the boys were crowded around copies of a comic book, the front cover of which depicted a woman in a black fox-mask, black trench-coat with matching top and mini-skirt with splits at the sides, black legging that covered her thighs, black combat boots, and black gloves, doing battle with a man in a bizarre blue-and-white jester's costume. Meanwhile, the girls were chattering excitedly about the masked female's beautiful black hair, the kind of makeup she likely wore, her sense of fashion that combined practicality with beauty and style.

Yet Naruto had not a clue as to what any of the fuss was about.

So it came as a shock to him when, heading along the corridor to his morning class, he saw even Kakashi walking past with a copy of the comic book among his books…although Kakashi would occasionally glance at the book with a lecherous expression on his face, so at least Naruto knew what _that_ man's interest in the book was really all about.

But it didn't ease his growing discomfort at feeling left out.

_Oh, great—even the teachers are in on this craze! Am I the odd man out or something?_

At length, he reached his classroom, and only a few students were there, in small groups here and there—yet those groups were clearly talking about the Shadow Fox comic or its eponymous character. Naruto cringed, certain he would be made the laughingstock of the school if anyone found out about his ignorance.

Then, reaching his desk, he almost fell over on seeing Uchiha Sasuke sitting alone at his desk, casually reading a copy of the comic. _What the HELL, man? Even this rich pretty-boy knows about this thing?_

Then Naruto noticed Sasuke was looking at him over the top of the book. "You want something, idiot?" Sasuke queried haughtily.

"Oi! Who're you calling an idiot, you bastard?" Naruto snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke.

"Well, I only see you there, so…" Sasuke shrugged and went back to reading the comic. "If you don't have anything worthwhile to say, then go and sit down."

Naruto scowled…and then decided to bite the bullet. "Actually, yeah, I do have something to say. Can I borrow that comic when you're done?"

"Why? Don't you have your own copy? Everybody else does," said Sasuke.

"Well…uh…I didn't have time to go to the comic store," Naruto lied.

Sasuke wasn't fooled, however. "You've never read a Shadow Fox comic, have you?"

"Sshh! Not so loud, _teme!"_ Naruto hissed.

Unfortunately, Sasuke's voice had carried to the rest of the class, and everyone else in the vicinity turned to stare at him. "What? You don't know about Shadow Fox?" one boy called out condescendingly.

"Have you been living under a rock all this time or something?" a girl exclaimed.

"Hey, everybody! Come look at this guy who doesn't know about Shadow Fox!" another boy yelled out the door.

Naruto cringed hard. _My life is over._

**OoOoO**

Several hours later…

The bell rang for lunch, and the students poured out of their classrooms to go to the cafeteria…but Naruto didn't follow behind them as quickly as he would have. Indeed, he trekked out more slowly, keeping his head down and avoiding anyone else's gaze. "How humiliating…" he muttered.

"Naruto-san."

"Eh?" Turning, Naruto saw Shino approaching him. "Oh, hey, Shino. What's up?"

For answer, Shino reached into his book-bag and pulled out a copy of the _Shadow Fox _comic. "Have you, by any chance, gotten one of these yet?" he inquired.

"Huh?" Naruto made a dismayed face. "Aw, man, not you too…what, you want to rub it in my face or something, like Sasuke-teme and everybody else has done all day today?"

Shino lifted an eyebrow behind his ever-present sunglasses. "I do not understand."

Naruto slumped against the nearby wall, letting out a defeated sigh. "Okay. I'm pretty much the only guy in this area who knows next to nothing about this Shadow Fox character. There. I said it. You can go ahead and laugh at me. Everybody in my last three classes has, already."

Shino's eyebrow settled back into place. "I see." He turned as if to walk away—but then made a motion to Naruto. "I'm on my way to the science lab, to check on my insect collection. Come with me and I'll show you some interesting specimens."

"First comic books, now bugs," Naruto grumbled as he reluctantly followed Shino all the way down to the end of the corridor, where the science lab's door lay open. "Hey, you sure they'll just let you go in like this?"

"There's always an attendant on duty here in between classes and until it's time to go home, so everything in here is not at risk of being stolen. Therefore, we should be fine," said Shino, stepping inside and lifting a hand in greeting to the lab attendant. "Excuse me, I have come to look at my insect collection for my ongoing science project."

"Ah, Shino-kun…sure, go ahead," the attendant waved him on.

Nodding, Shino walked down to the far end of the lab, Naruto following behind him, and soon they were standing in front of a huge glass case that took up nearly the entire wall, separated into smaller segments in which resided bugs of different types, sizes and colors. "Ugh…this is your collection?" Naruto made no effort to hide his disgust.

"As I told you and Ino-san previously, it is something I enjoy," Shino said quietly, running his fingertips across the glass pane as he took in an ever-growing nest of hornets in one section, a number of scorpions in another section, and centipedes in yet another section.

A moment passed, during which Shino continued to peruse the different bug specimens that were separated in their various sections of the glass case, while Naruto tried and failed to conceal his shudders of revulsion. Then, abruptly, Shino turned and reached for the _Shadow Fox_ comic, which he'd set down on a desk next to him, and handed it to Naruto. "Read this."

"Huh…thanks," Naruto grumbled as he took the book, before sitting down and eyeing its cover. He then opened it up and flipped through the pages.

Shino turned back to his observation of the insects in the glass case. "You really don't know the first thing about that comic, do you?" he asked.

"Does everybody in the world know about it?" Naruto hissed.

"I don't know about 'in the world', but I can definitely say 'in this school'," said Shino, even as his eyes—hidden as they were behind his sunglasses—roved over a growing colony of fire-ants in their section of the display. "Even Principal Danzo's a fan, though he might not want to admit it publicly…"

**OoOoO**

"Ah-CHOO!" Danzo sneezed out loud inside his office, his upper body jerking from the movement. "Huh…who's talking about me now, eh?" he grunted, rubbing his nose with one finger. "Oh, well, I hope I didn't sneeze on this Shadow Fox comic book…I'd like to keep it in mint condition…"

**OoOoO**

"Oh, gimme a break—an old geezer like the principal knows about this stuff?" Naruto groaned, hanging his head down between his legs. "Bad enough that that pervert teacher Kakashi has his own copy to jerk off to…"

Shino deliberately ignored that line of dialogue. "Naruto-san…I can at least give you the fundamentals of this comic's history, so you don't go looking or sounding foolish when people talk about Shadow Fox in front of you."

"Yeah?" It was Naruto's turn to lift his eyebrows.

"Yes. Because last year…I was in the exact same situation as you are in now. So I took the initiative to do something about it." Shino's gaze lingered on a display of big black ants. "Here's the basic summary: Shadow Fox is a vigilante superhero who was once an ordinary college freshman, until one tragic day when her younger brother, for whom she'd been acting as a surrogate mother due to the mysterious disappearance of their parents years earlier, was gunned down during a drive-by shooting between two rival gangs in their neighborhood. Overcome with grief, the girl sought to have her brother's killers punished through the courts…but it turned out that one of the gang leaders had financial backing from a friend who had close and very corrupt ties to the local police force."

"Uh-huh…" Naruto drank in the information.

"So the girl decided that, if the law wouldn't be able to help her avenge her brother's murder, she'd have to play her part in cleaning up the town and the police force by extension," Shino went on. "But she was faced with a problem—making petitions and taking part in protests only led to herself and her friends and allies being threatened with retaliation, threats that were made good on when one of the few truly honest cops on the force who'd been supporting her got murdered execution-style as a further warning for her to back off or else. Now the girl was at her wits' end, wondering what to do…"

"Then what?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"Just hang on," Shino waved off Naruto's impatience. "As it turned out, the murdered cop had a friend in the local police armory who owed him a favor…that friend came to see the girl, and together they made an agreement—he would provide her with the needed artillery and training, and she would use those to combat the city's crime. But even then that still wasn't going to be enough…until one night, while looking out over the city from her apartment's balcony, the girl saw a mysterious fox lurking near a neighbor's fence…the fox crept in, stole what it wanted, evaded the neighbor's efforts to capture it, and escaped into the night. Seeing all of this, the girl got her inspiration: she would emulate the actions of the fox, and disguise herself accordingly to protect her own identity and the safety of her loved ones."

"And so she went out, got that fox mask, and got her gear from her cop buddy," Naruto surmised. "So what kind of stuff does she use?"

"Shadow Fox uses a black motorcycle to get about the city during her patrols," Shino told him. "She also uses a gun that fires a grappling hook, plus for combat she uses shuriken and escrima sticks, and she also uses stuff like tracking devices shaped like a little fox's head, smoke bombs to cover her escapes, and other tools as needed for specific cases. She's a natural gymnast from her high school days, so that comes in handy during combat—the other stuff she needs to know, like criminology, history, sciences, and so on, she has different links to help her with all that."

"I see…and the weirdo she's fighting here on the cover?" Naruto pointed to the book.

"That's Mischief, a member of Shadow Fox's rogues-gallery," Shino said patiently. "She's got quite a colorful cast of characters that she has to fight every now and then, besides the various common crooks and such. Some of the more outlandish ones include people like Second Sight, Brutality, Decker Card, Mask Master, Reflector, Ricochet, Nitro-Frost, Dr. Glass, and Blitz. What's really interesting about it is, none of Shadow Fox's enemies have supernatural powers—everything they do, every weapon they have, is as a result of technology, psychology, or similar things."

Naruto whistled appreciatively. "Not bad, I guess…"

He flipped through the pages again—and then noticed something. "Hey…this ad here, where they talk about the movie for this comic…"

"Yes?" Shino turned and looked at him expectantly.

"The name of the actress who's going to play the role…" Naruto frowned. "It seems familiar…"

Shino took the comic from Naruto and looked at the name in question. "Ah, of course—this is the actress Fujikaze Yukie. She's one of the newest actresses on the scene, and this is supposed to be her big breakout film role. If you want to get more detail on her, it's easy to look up the information online."

"Yeah…I think I'll do that later," Naruto nodded. "You mind if I borrow this?" holding up the book.

"Go ahead, at least so you can familiarize yourself with the characters and the plot," said Shino. "Just make sure you give it back when you're done."

"Okay. Thanks!" Naruto immediately began to read through the comic at the beginning, while Shino turned back to studying the bug display.

**OoOoO**

Much later, Naruto was still reading the comic book. Indeed, as the dismissal bell rang and the other students made their exit, he walked along while reading the book. "Okay…so that's what this Mischief guy can do…" he mumbled under his breath as he took in a page of the comic's titular hero fending off some deadly-looking toys thrown at her by her jester-clad nemesis.

So engrossed in the book was he that he quite literally wasn't paying any attention to where he was going…and as a consequence he got caught completely by surprise when he bumped into someone. "Ow! Oi, watch it!" the person snapped.

"Sorry," Naruto apologized. Then he did a double-take. "Wait…you're…"

The person he'd bumped into was Suigetsu, who'd been walking along with Jugo. Suigetsu now gave Naruto a nasty look. "Oh, it's you," he grunted.

Jugo nodded politely to Naruto. "I see you have been reading that _Shadow Fox_ comic book. It's been the talk of the whole school today, I think," he said. "Will you be attending the movie when it opens at the cinema?"

"Oi, Jugo, don't go socializing with the guy! He's the enemy, remember?" Suigetsu hissed.

"_Your_ enemy, perhaps, but not mine," Jugo shrugged.

"Well, ignoring Mr. Shark-face here," Naruto spoke to Jugo, "I don't know if I'll be going to watch the movie. Do you think it'll really be that good?"

"The lead actress is Fujikaze Yukie. I should imagine it will be good," said Jugo, allowing himself a small smile. "All I have to wonder is, which of her villains will they use in the movie?"

"Maybe this guy?" Naruto pointed to the image of Mischief on the cover.

"Mischief? Hmm, interesting, but probably not," said Jugo. "This movie is bound to cover Shadow Fox's origin story, so they'll probably want to set her against her arch-nemesis, Ghost Wolf."

"Oh, come on! I can't believe I'm actually hearing you fraternize with this blond punk!" Suigetsu exploded. "Have you forgotten about this Saturday night, Jugo? One of us might get a shot at him, like Sasuke said!"

"Eh?" Naruto looked from one to the other of them.

"I should explain," said Jugo. "Four of us, including me and Suigetsu, have been selected to take part in Uchiha-san's tournament come Saturday night, against those of you who'll have already qualified from the initial fights. Naturally, Suigetsu here is eager to take his revenge on you for what you did to him the other day during P.E. class."

"What—you mean that thing with the baseball?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, he means that thing with the baseball!" Suigetsu roared. "I couldn't walk straight for hours after what happened! So if I ever get paired with you Saturday night, I'll make sure to give you as much pain as you gave me!"

Naruto shrugged. "Eh, do whatever you want."

"What's with the indifferent attitude, you…!" Suigetsu would have rushed Naruto right there and then if Jugo hadn't grabbed his collar to pull him back.

"Still…" Naruto was now quite thoughtful. "So it's Sasuke-teme who's behind the tournament in the first place. Interesting. I wonder why he did it in the first place."

"Perhaps the one who wins it will find out," said Jugo. "And, too, the prize of having one wish granted by the Uchiha Zaibatsu is not something to thumb one's nose at. But I will say this, Naruto…if I am the one who gets to fight you, I will not hold back on any of my strength, and I ask that you do not hold back then, either."

"Well, okay," said Naruto. "So, let's see how it turns out then, huh?"

"That we shall. So, until then…enjoy your comic book." Jugo turned away. "Let's go, Suigetsu."

"Yeah, sure," though Suigetsu paused long enough to make a throat-slitting motion with his finger to Naruto, before turning to follow after Jugo. Naruto, in turn, spitefully held up his middle finger, though he was careful enough not to let Suigetsu see it.

And…not far away, Uchiha Sasuke himself stood behind a wall, watching the whole proceedings with a keen eye.

**OoOoO**

"WHAT?" Ino flew into a rage and swung her book-bag to hit Shikamaru, but missed.

"What're you attacking us for, you violent woman?" Shikamaru asked in his usual bored tone, as he sidestepped to avoid another swing of the bag.

"You mean to tell me Sasuke-kun actually offered you guys a chance to watch the _Shadow Fox_ movie screening with the critics—with a buffet line on top of it? _And you didn't tell me?"_ Ino screeched, turning to swing her bag at Choji.

"Hey, come on, Ino! How could we pass it up?" Choji protested, ducking to avoid the bag.

More livid now, Ino rushed and jump-kicked at Choji's head, but the bigger-bodied boy blocked the attack. "I'll never forgive you two! Never!" Ino shouted, with angry fangs in her mouth. "Do you know how many people in this town would kill to be first in line to see that movie?"

"You'd be on that list, for sure," Shikamaru drawled.

"C'mon, Shika, don't antagonize her anymore…" Choji pleaded with his friend.

"Choji, just breathing is enough to antagonize Ino," Shikamaru grunted.

"Oh, don't worry—when I'm done with you two, you'll be lucky if I leave you breathing!" Ino raged, chasing after the two boys even as they rushed down the sidewalk to get away from her.

"Next time we have good news like this, we'll make sure not to tell you!" Choji flung over his shoulder.

"Why, you…!" Ino snarled as she redoubled her chase.

**OoOoO**

Naruto soon arrived home, bursting through the front door. "Mom, I'm home!" he called out, walking past the kitchen where Kushina was preparing dinner.

"Ah, good, you're home now," said Kushina. "Go wash up, and I'll have dinner ready soon."

"Okay," Naruto replied as he headed down the corridor.

Silence reigned for a few more seconds. Then suddenly Naruto shot back to the kitchen door and gawked. "Mom, what are you WEARING?" he demanded.

"Hmm?" Kushina turned to look at him—and right there before Naruto's eyes, his mother was clad in a costume not unlike that worn by the Shadow Fox character, complete with a fox-mask. "Oh, this?" she said, pointing to her costume. "I made it myself. Do you like it?"

Naruto slapped his forehead and groaned. "Oh, great…even my own mother's infected with this Shadow Fox fever!" he exclaimed. "Next thing you'll be saying you got the comic book today…wait. You did, didn't you?"

"What do you mean? I've been collecting the series ever since it first began publishing," Kushina said casually. "If you want to borrow some of them to read, you could always ask."

Making a face, Naruto reached into his bag and pulled out the comic he'd borrowed from Shino. "Let me guess…you got this one too, right?" he asked wearily.

"Oh, I already have that, since yesterday in fact," said Kushina. "I never miss an issue!"

"Wonderful…a grown woman who still reads comics," Naruto muttered, turning and stomping off to his room.

Kushina watched her son's grudging departure with confusion. "What?" she called after him. "If you don't want to read the comics, you can always come watch the movie with me—I got tickets!"

"You and everybody else in Konoha Town, I'll bet!" Naruto exploded, punctuated by the slamming of his bedroom door.

"My comic collection is in my bottom dresser-drawer in my room, in case you change your mind," Kushina came out of the kitchen to shout at Naruto's shut door.

"Right next to where you keep your weird dirty books, I'll bet," Naruto's muffled voice came through the door.

"They're self-improvement magazines, I'll have you know—wait a minute, how do you even KNOW about those?" Kushina screamed with a comically angry expression.

The only response was the sound of the lock on Naruto's bedroom door clicking shut.

**OoOoO**

Meanwhile, at the Uchiha Zaibatsu building at that very moment…

Sasuke walked down the brightly-lit corridor to the building's in-house gym, from which the noise of grunts of exertion could be heard rather loudly. Approaching the gym's entrance, he looked inside and put his hands in his pockets, while a smirk appeared on his face. "Working hard, aren't you?"

Inside the gym, Tenten was throwing several punches and kicks at a punching bag hanging from the ceiling by a heavy chain. "How long have you been here?" Sasuke asked her as she sent a low kick, and then a high kick, at the bag with the same leg.

"Not long enough," Tenten answered brusquely, sending a forward-thrown left punch and then a side-hitting right hook at the bag. "Can I help you with something?"

"You should consider resting just a little. The upcoming leg of the tournament isn't for another forty-eight hours, roughly," said Sasuke. "Besides, you punching and kicking that bag won't do anything but make it softer and less resistant over time."

Tenten sent a hard punch to the bag, and only then turned to glare at Sasuke. "If you're here to psych me out, it's not going to work," she growled. "I'm not going to stop getting stronger until I'm as strong as I need to be."

"To defeat Naruto, you mean," Sasuke clarified, eyeing her.

"Not Naruto—Kurama the Fox of the Kyuushingai." Tenten turned her gaze back to the bag and began punching it with renewed vengeance.

"Do you intend to kill him? Because if so, at least wait till after the tournament's over. I won't have any deaths on Uchiha property, on my watch," said Sasuke.

Now Tenten really did stop her assault on the bag. "I…"

"Hmm?" Sasuke looked squarely at her.

There was a long silence, punctuated only by Tenten's heavy breathing. Then she threw another punch at the bag…not the sharp and calculated punch of a fighter, but a blow that expressed frustration. "Damn it…I don't know _what _I want." She said this through gritted teeth. "Damn him…"

_If you killed me now…would the pain go away? Would the nightmares finally stop?_

The question Naruto had asked her ran through her mind, blaring like a neon light whose power had gone out of control. "Why…he was with the Kyuushingai…but…why'd he have to be so NICE?" she groaned, sinking to her knees even as she cupped her forehead with one hand.

"So you think fighting him again will give you the answer you want to hear?" Sasuke inquired.

"…maybe. I don't know. I don't even know if I _want_ to know." Tenten heaved a hard sigh.

Shaking his head, Sasuke walked over to a nearby mini-fridge, took a bottle of water from it, and tossed it to Tenten; on reflex, she reached up and caught it with one hand. "Listen," Sasuke spoke to her again, "I'm not going to act like I know what's going on in that _dobe's_ head. All I know for sure is what you've just figured out…he's a complex guy. Maybe…maybe that's why you're so focused on him…not because he was one of the Nine Terrors…but because he doesn't fit the mold you'd expected."

Tenten frowned. "So you're a psychologist now?"

Sasuke shrugged. "All I'll say to you…go home and rest. Let your body heal up in time for the tournament on Saturday. Whether you get to fight him or not…I want to see you give a good performance, and you can't do that if you're tired. So, again, go home." And he walked out of the gym, leaving Tenten alone again.

"…" Tenten unconsciously uncorked the bottle of water and put the lid to her lips, taking a sip. _Complex, huh…that probably describes you just as well…wouldn't it, Uchiha Sasuke?_

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 21

00000

NEON MAJESTIC: Okay, I admit it. That whole plot with the Shadow Fox comic, it was created as something of an in-between breather before the main action starts again. From here on out, you can think of everything Shadow Fox-related as the story's "show within a show," or something. And for Shadow Fox herself, I based her design on Rudra from the fan-made _Streets of Rage Remake,_ and everything else about her has a little bit of Batman, Zorro, Darkwing Duck (no, she's not a duck), and the rather obscure Black Scorpion thrown into the mix.

And yes, Kushina has a dirty book collection.

No more fluff and pseudo-filler next chapter! Come Chapter 22, the main action gets underway again!


	22. Diplomacy

_**Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox**_

_Written by Neon Majestic_

(**DISCLAIMER:** The _Naruto_ franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

**OoOoO**

**CHAPTER 22 - Diplomacy**

Friday dawned. The sun rose up, up, up into the sky. The morning hours passed as children learned, ate, fought and quarreled, and did everything children were usually expected to do at school, while adults worked the daily grind to earn their honest wages.

And there was a knock at the Uzumaki door.

"Coming, coming!" Kushina called out, hurriedly wiping her hands on her apron and, after checking the stove-burners to make sure they wouldn't cause her pots to boil over, she went to the front door. "Yes, hello?" she said pleasantly as she opened it.

Standing there on the porch was a gray-haired young man with glasses, clad in a tuxedo. "Good morning, madam. Is this the home of Uzumaki Naruto?" he asked politely, slightly adjusting his glasses.

"It is, but he's at school just now," said Kushina, eyeing the stranger curiously. "May I help you?"

The visitor nodded. "My name is Kabuto, and I am the retainer to the Hyuga family," he introduced himself. "I have been tasked to issue an invitation to Naruto-kun…perhaps I could leave it with you, madam," and he reached into his coat and pulled out a white rolled-up paper with a gold ribbon wrapped around it and gave it to her.

"Hmm…may I ask what this invitation is for?" Kushina inquired.

"That would be for the Hyugas' annual dinner party, on the last Saturday of next month," Kabuto explained.

"Eh? _That_ dinner party?" Kushina frowned. "But aren't those kinds of get-togethers only open to the rich and well-connected?"

"Well, normally, that is true. Still, madam, I would simply accept the invitation as it stands, and not look a gift-horse in the mouth, as the saying goes," said Kabuto.

"I see. Yes, my apologies." Kushina bowed her head briefly. "Thank you, sir. I'll ensure my son gets this as soon as he gets home from school today."

"I am much obliged." Kabuto nodded to her, and then turned and walked back to the limousine waiting along the roadway.

**OoOoO**

Exiting his pre-lunchtime class, Neji walked with quick and determined steps along the corridor, paying no mind to anyone else standing nearby, even though most of the other students gave him respectful pause on seeing him. His mind was focused straight ahead, toward his destination.

Truth be told, even though Hiashi had admonished him to ensure Hinata's views on Uzumaki Naruto were altered before the week was out, Neji was not looking forward to having that conversation with his cousin. That apprehension would have been bad enough on its own, too, if he'd actually had any idea how to begin the discussion, especially after Hinata's admittedly unexpected show of defiance, respectful though it was, to both Neji and Hiashi on Monday night. So, to give himself time to figure out how best to approach the subject with her, he'd devoted himself to preparing Naruto's invitation for the upcoming dinner party at the Hyuga mansion.

And he'd spent quite a good deal of time working on that invitation, too, tailoring it specifically for Naruto. If all went according to Neji's plan, at least he hoped so, then Naruto would be so totally humiliated at the end of it all that he'd wish the world was a little wider to make more distance between himself and anyone bearing the Hyuga name.

But it irked Neji that he'd felt so stuck when it came to figuring out how to broach the subject with Hinata. Since Monday's confrontation with Hiashi in the study, there had been a lingering tension in the family, one so thick that it could practically be felt. Hinata and Hiashi were just barely speaking to each other at the dinner table, and then only in brief, forcefully polite sentences; Neji himself had to juggle the conversation ball in order to get either of them to talk to the other. Much to his personal gratitude, not one mention of Naruto had come up at dinner in the past three days since the argument; but Neji could feel some of the tension being directed his way, in terms of glances from Hiashi, which supplied the unspoken question of what Neji was doing to persuade Hinata.

Well, there would be no more procrastinating on Neji's part today.

"Hinata…may I have a moment?" he approached his cousin as she exited her class to go to lunch.

"Eh? Neji?" Hinata seemed surprised at his presence there. "Were you waiting for me to finish class?"

"I just got here, actually," said Neji. "We need to talk. Walk with me, would you?"

"Um, okay…" Frowning a little, Hinata followed her cousin until they were beneath a tree near the volleyball court. "What is it, Neji?" she asked him.

Neji cleared his throat. "I wanted to have a one-on-one conversation with you. About Naruto-kun."

He did not fail to notice that she was immediately on guard. "What about Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked warily.

"I will not lie to you." Neji crossed his arms over his chest. "After you left the study on Monday night, Uncle Hiashi told me not to let this week pass without trying to convince you to…change your viewpoint about Naruto-kun. I understand and sympathize with his concerns, of course, but I want to be as diplomatic as possible about this, since we are family. So…"

"So?" Hinata prompted. "Neji, I know that you and Father are concerned about my welfare, but just because…" Here she lowered her voice and glanced about as though looking for eavesdroppers. "Just because Naruto-kun is a former member of the Kyuushingai, this does not give you or Father the right to dictate who I can or cannot associate with. And I find Naruto-kun to be a rather pleasant person to be around, and my friend Ino-san trusts him."

"Does your friend Ino-san know about…what sort of person Naruto-kun is?" asked Neji.

"I don't know if she knows, and I don't really think it matters if she knows." Hinata was blunt.

Neji sighed—this wasn't going as well as he'd hoped it might. "Look…I think Uncle Hiashi has a right to be concerned about you wanting to get so close to this guy…"

"Father was concerned about Naruto-kun's character long before he found out about…" Hinata pursed her lips as some random students walked past. _"…that_ information concerning him. Before that, his concern was about Naruto-kun's school performance. So perhaps Naruto-kun isn't the brightest or most attentive student in school; that may be true, but who says he cannot change, or that he doesn't do well where and when it counts most?"

Neji's brow furrowed. "Let me ask you this directly, Hinata. Do you have a crush on Naruto-kun?"

Hinata's eyes widened slightly, and her cheeks immediately flushed, but—to her credit, Neji privately and grudgingly acknowledged—she kept herself together. "I…admire him," she said finally.

"I see. Well, how well do you know him? As an individual, I mean, and bypassing _that_ certain information for now," said Neji. "Do you know what sort of home-life or upbringing he has? Do you know his opinion on his academic performance, or lack thereof? Do you know whether he is a respected person in the community? These things are important, when considering who you want to spend your time with."

Hinata took a deep breath. "No, I do not know about his home-life or upbringing," she acknowledged. "And no, I do not know what his academic performance is like, or how he views it. As to whether he is respected in the community, I've already cited Ino-san."

"That's just one person. What about others?" Neji pressed. "The point is, Hinata, you barely know Naruto-kun. How do you know he's the right sort of person for you to spend any sort of time with?"

"And how will I know if he is or isn't, if I don't spend any time with him at all?" Hinata challenged. "I cannot rely solely on secondhand information, can I? Even Ino-san's testimony is based on her own interaction with him; unless I am around him—which, right now, I am not because we don't see each other that often due to not sharing any classes—I cannot verify or disprove what she has had to say about him."

"One does not need to put one's hand in tar to know that it's black," Neji said sternly.

"Neither can one tell whether it will rain or not, just from looking at a gray sky," said Hinata. "Sometimes the clouds give way to the sun and the rain never falls."

Now Neji folded his arms over his chest. "All right. So you're determined to continue associating with Naruto-kun—against Uncle Hiashi's express instruction. What are you going to do next?"

"No—not against Father's wishes." Hinata looked to one side. "Neji, I don't want to have to choose between my love for my own father and my desire to make friends with whoever I see fit."

"Then what do you intend to do? You can't have both, if associating with Naruto-kun will go against Uncle Hiashi's orders for you not to," said Neji.

"Then why not let them meet and then have Father decide for himself?" said Hinata.

"What? A meeting? Between the two of them?" asked Neji.

"Yes. At least give Naruto-kun a chance to prove himself," Hinata insisted.

"Hmm. Give him a chance, huh…" Neji seemed to consider the matter. "Well, Hinata, I'll acknowledge that it's only fair to do that. Well…what if I told you that our upcoming dinner party will be a good opportunity for him to be tested and tried?"

"Eh? The dinner party?" Hinata's wariness was immediately replaced by real surprise. "But—doesn't Father usually only invite—"

"The rich and well-connected? That's true, usually…but since I was tasked to do the invitations, it's no problem to have Naruto-kun on the guest list," said Neji. "At the very least, we can see how he handles himself in genteel society."

"I see. Thank you, Neji." Hinata nodded, as now a small smile appeared on her face.

"Do not get your hopes up too high, though," Neji warned her. "We have no way of knowing what will happen at that time. Besides, I still share Uncle Hiashi's reservations about Naruto-kun because of _that_ matter."

Hinata nodded again, though a little of the smile vanished. "I understand."

**OoOoO**

"Ah! Sai-kun!"

Sai, bearing his just-purchased lunch in his hands, turned around as he heard Ino calling to him. "Ino-san," he greeted her. "How are you today?"

"Pretty well, all things considered," Ino replied as she caught up to him. "How's your nose?"

Sai was wearing a band-aid across the bridge of his nose. "It's still a bit swollen, but today's better than Wednesday evening," he acknowledged. "Naruto-kun is a powerful fighter…if our fight had been a truly serious one, I'm not sure if I'd have been so lucky."

"But you're pretty skilled, too," Ino pointed out.

"I'm only as skilled as I need to be, Ino-san," Sai gently admonished her. "Just because I can fight, doesn't mean I particularly like to."

"So…" Ino briefly bit her lip. "When _would_ you fight?"

"Only when absolutely warranted," Sai explained. "My fight with Naruto-kun, for instance, was simply because we were matched up in the Uchiha Zaibatsu's tournament."

"And the other day…when your painting was…" Ino paused, remembering the incident with the four bullies.

"Ah. That." Sai clearly remembered the incident, too, and not pleasantly. "I just didn't like how my artwork was being so shoddily treated and abused. I put too much time into painting that picture, for it to be damaged so carelessly. I just…snapped. And…I am truly sorry for that. I can only imagine how I must have frightened you…"

"No, Sai-kun," Ino interrupted him. "It was a shock, I'll admit, but like I told you already, I've seen worse violence than that. And the important thing is that, like you've said, you don't enjoy or revel in that sort of behavior. I…I kind of like that in a guy, actually." She smiled a little. "Someone who knows how to be restrained…someone who knows how to properly channel his energy…"

"Ah, I see. Like Naruto-kun, perhaps?" Sai smirked.

"Wha—wait, what's Naruto got to do with it?" Ino blinked.

"Well, it's clear you two have a good friendship, but…I was just wondering, could it be that you harbor a secret crush on him or something?" Sai queried.

"No, no! It's nothing like that!" Ino waved her hands in denial. "Naruto's a pretty nice guy and all that, but…the one I really like is someone else…"

"Oh? Someone else?" Sai looked at her curiously.

"Yeah…Sasuke-kun!" Ino replied. "I mean, he's so cool and all…what girl wouldn't like him?"

"Hmm. Interesting." Sai smiled a little with his eyes closed. "Well, have you had a conversation with him yet, to gauge the possibility of a relationship with him?"

"Uh…well…no…" Ino admitted sheepishly. "But since the next leg of the tournament is tomorrow night, I want to take the opportunity to confess to him!"

"I see," said Sai. "I should be curious to see how that turns out…and how you will perform in the tournament, as well. Do you think you're ready for that next leg?"

Now Ino turned serious. "I guess," she answered. "I mean, the prize is definitely something to go for, but Naruto's going to be among the competition I have to face. I don't mind fighting him if he and I get paired up, but…am I really strong enough to face him, after seeing how he fought you?"

"You would probably have to ask the same question, if I had won that fight," Sai informed her. "But either way, if you have a defeatist attitude like that before you've even set foot in the next arena, you'll definitely lose. So just go there with a confident heart and mind, and go with a winner's attitude. Besides, Sasuke will be there, won't he? And I doubt you want to lose in front of him."

"Ah—you're right! You're so right!" Ino nodded vigorously. "Thanks, Sai-kun! I definitely feel better about it now, thanks to you!" She turned to go. "Well, I gotta go get some pudding before they all sell out! See you later!"

"Yes…see you." Sai waved a little as Ino ran for the lunch line, and then he turned away and walked off, still holding his own lunch in his hand.

**OoOoO**

"Sakura-san! Oh, Sakura-san, wait up, please!"

Hearing Lee's voice calling her from behind, Sakura took a mighty effort to repress the cringe on her face, and plastered on as bright a smile as she could manage as she turned to face him. "Lee-san!" she greeted him. "How are you today?"

"As youthful and energetic as ever!" Lee pulled some manly poses right there and then, even as Sakura developed a sweat-drop from bearing witness to this. "Although I am reminded, we still haven't made any concrete plans for Saturday night…"

"Yeah…well…" Sakura looked a little sheepish. "Truth be told, Lee-san, there was somewhere I was hoping to go on Saturday night, but it doesn't seem I'll be able to, now…"

"Oh, really? Such a disappointment!" Lee said sympathetically. "Is it a lack of proper access to that place? If so, I should be glad to make reservations for you and me! Where exactly is it?"

"Um…actually, it's the Uchiha Zaibatsu building," Sakura explained. "There is supposed to be a get-together there, but I've pretty much lost my chance to go now…" _Thanks to that damn Ino-pig,_ she added mentally.

Just then—Ino herself appeared around the corner, cup of pudding in hand, and she stopped short on seeing Sakura and Lee. "Oh, hello, Miss Forehead," she said. "And Mr. Fuzzy-brows."

"Pardon me, but my name is not Fuzzy-brows! It's Rock Lee!" Lee spoke up. "You're one of Naruto-kun's friends, aren't you? Clearly you have been spending time with him! He must have told you that that's his chosen nickname for me!"

"Nobody needs to spend time around Naruto to come up with a nickname like that for a weirdo like you," and Ino made a face.

Hilariously, Lee turned to stone at that comment. "WHAAAAAAT?" he wailed out loud.

A vein bulged in Sakura's head. "Hey, pig-face, don't just ignore me like that," she growled at Ino. "I haven't forgotten how you pulled my hair the other night…it still hurts, you know!"

"Aww, wasn't I rough enough for you?" Ino taunted her. "Maybe you'd like me to spank you again so you'll be put in your proper position."

"Um…"

Both girls at once turned to look at Lee. "What?" they asked in one annoyed voice—and then saw that his eyes were wide and blank, with a big blush on his face and a slight nose-bleed coming from his nostrils.

"Uh…" Lee struggled to find his voice, even as the nose-bleed got bigger. "Hair-pulling…roughness…spanking…the two of you…" He let out a little chuckle. "Could it be that…that you, Sakura-san…and your blond friend here…"

In one swift movement both girls flung simultaneous megaton-punches into Lee's face, sending him flying. "GET OUT OF HERE, PERVERT!" they screeched together, angry fangs in their mouths.

Lee lay on the ground, his mouth full of broken teeth and his eyes full of dizzy-swirls. "Imagery…worth it…" he croaked, weakly pulling a thumbs-up.

"Grrr…don't think this is over between us, Ino-pig! I'll get you back for what you did to me!" Sakura raged at Ino.

"Bring it on anytime, forehead-girl! You know how to find me!" Ino snapped back.

"Yeah, I definitely know how! You're going to be at the Uchiha Zaibatsu building tomorrow night—where I would be, if not for you!" Sakura said angrily. "But there's no way you're going to advance to the next round after this, so I think I'll come over and watch your public shaming! It'll more than make up for you robbing me of the chance to make my wish come true!"

"Are you sure you want to do that? Because I'd think you'd want to avoid me rubbing it in your face about how I'm going to get _my_ wish granted by Sasuke-kun!" Ino sneered. "But if you want further humiliation, come right on over and watch me bask in glory!"

"Bask in a mud-pit is more like it, but I'm definitely coming over there tomorrow!" Sakura vowed through clenched teeth.

"Fine, then, do that!" And with that, Ino turned on her heel and stamped off, gobbling down her pudding furiously.

Sakura glared after Ino's departing figure. "Now I definitely know where I want to go Saturday night," she vowed. "I don't care if they want to turn me away at the front door or not—I'm going to the Uchiha Zaibatsu, for sure!" And then she turned and stalked away…leaving poor Lee on the ground in the process.

"Um…a little help...please?" Lee croaked.

**OoOoO**

Sai sat under a tree in the schoolyard, idly picking at his lunch—which itself was barely eaten since he'd bought it. So lost in his thoughts was he that he didn't take note when footsteps approached him. Then: "Oi, Sai!"

"Hmm?" Jarred back to reality, Sai looked up to see who had addressed him. "Oh, Naruto-kun. How are you?"

"What's wrong with you? You looked all spaced-out just now," Naruto noted.

"Ah—no, it's nothing," Sai replied, giving a smile. "I just had something on my mind, that's all. It's no big issue." He fixed his look on Naruto. "How go your preparations for tomorrow night? Are you ready?"

"Well, yeah…as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," answered Naruto. "Although I have to wonder who else is gonna be there, aside from me and Ino…"

"You won't know until tomorrow night, I guess," said Sai.

Naruto regarded the pale-skinned boy. "Say, you wanna come and watch us fight?"

"Eh? Watch you?" Sai blinked.

"Yeah—me and Ino in our upcoming matches!" Naruto said cheerfully. "Whoever we get to face, it ought to be pretty good! There's no reason why you have to lose out on all that just because I beat you on Wednesday!"

Sai mulled over the invitation. "Well…why not? I suppose I can do that, yes," he said at last. "But tell me, Naruto-kun, if you and Ino-san are slated to fight each other, what will you do? She said she wouldn't shy away from fighting you…"

"Oh, she did?" Naruto remarked. "Well, I guess there's no issue there…I admit, it would be a bit weird to fight my own friend, but it's all good. It's not as if we'd be trying to actually kill each other or anything."

"I see." Sai nodded. "If I may, Naruto-kun…you and Ino-san have a strong rapport with each other, yet she has her eye on Uchiha Sasuke. Doesn't it bother you?"

"Eh? Why should it bother me?" Naruto looked confused. "Well, other than the fact that Sasuke-teme's nothing but a massive turd…but it's not like Ino and I are gonna date, or anything."

"Wouldn't you wish to?" asked Sai.

"Aaaaahhhh…no. At least, not with Ino." Naruto shook his head. "She's a really great friend and all…in fact, she's the first friend I made when I moved here to Konoha Town…but I see her more like the bratty sister you can't live without. Besides, she already made it clear that she was going to set me up with Hinata, so…"

"Hinata? As in, Hyuga Hinata? THAT Hinata?" Sai looked astonished at the revelation.

"Uh, yeah…why?" Naruto lifted an eyebrow at Sai's reaction.

"Well, it's just, I've never seen her interact with you…I've seen her with Ino-san, sure, but never with you," Sai explained. "Have you two even talked at all?"

"Yeah, sure, a couple of times…it's just that we don't share any classes together…and she's more around her cousin Neji than anyone else, as far as I know," said Naruto. "We did agree to let things develop as they will, so who am I to rush any of that? Plus, she said something about her dad being a bit overprotective of her."

"That, I can understand—this girl is the daughter of a very wealthy and influential man, a man who's high up on Konoha Town's economical food chain," Sai pointed out.

"So what?" Naruto grunted. "Hinata's dad might be rich, but she's here attending public school with the rest of us, isn't she? That means she's got just as much opportunity to hang out with whoever she wants to, just like us. I know for sure that she and Ino get along really great, so there's no problem right there."

"I understand, but even if you say that, if you really are interested in having any sort of relationship with the girl, you need to hang out more with her—at least, as much as you'll be allowed, considering Hinata's family," said Sai. "You're in Ino-san's company more than you are in Hinata's—it's only natural that people might start to think you and Ino-san are an item. So if you're truly sincere about Hinata, then make an effort to be around her more often, build a rapport with her, and then you can see where it goes from there."

"Huh." Naruto considered Sai's advice. "Well, let's see…Neji already invited me to attend their family's dinner function at the end of February, so…"

"Then there you go—you have a leg in the door right away," Sai jumped on the opportunity. "Start a relationship with her and her family; get to know them, not just as another group of rich people, but know them for who they really are and what sort of personalities they possess. And let them get to know you. You say you want to take things slow with Hinata, but for things to progress at all, you must be willing to aid in that progress."

"Hmm…yeah…" Naruto's brow knitted as he dwelt on Sai's advice.

**OoOoO**

Later that afternoon, after school…

"Oi, Mom, I'm back!" Naruto called as he came into the house.

"Welcome home, son," Kushina greeted him. "Dinner will be on the table soon—chicken ramen with lots of dumplings."

"Aaaahhh…ramen…" Naruto immediately got a dreamy look in his eyes.

"And while you go and wash up, there's a delivery here for you—the Hyugas sent over your invitation for their dinner party next month," Kushina added. "Have a look at it and tell me what you think. It's on the dining table."

"Thanks, Mom! Wow, they sure got that invitation sent to me pretty quickly…" Naruto went over into the dining room and saw the delivered invitation right where Kushina said it was. "Now, let's see here," he said, picking it up and opening it to behold its floral printed writing. "Uzumaki Naruto-san, you are cordially invited to attend…" His tone trailed off as he continued reading in his mind.

"That's a pretty big honor you're being given there, don't you think?" Kushina's voice reached his ear from the kitchen. "They're not known for inviting anyone less than upper-crust status to those shindigs. Somebody there must really like you."

"Maybe," Naruto replied absently as he continued to read the invitation.

From where she was at the stove, Kushina shrugged and continued stirring the pot of ramen—but suddenly a loud "WHAT THE HELL?" from the dining room caused her to almost drop the ladle.

"What? What?" Kushina flew out of the kitchen to where Naruto was.

"Uh…nothing, Mom," Naruto said sheepishly. "Just something caught me by surprise, that's all."

"Grr…dumb boy…you nearly made me spill the ramen!" Kushina scolded him. "In this house, you—do not—spill—ramen—especially when it's being prepared! Don't scare me like that again!"

"Sorry, sorry," Naruto apologized, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

Scowling, Kushina marched back into the kitchen to resume her cooking. But as he briefly watched her go, Naruto's brain caused his eyes to register back to the invitation, and the section he'd read that had caused his outburst.

_Conditions for your admission to the Hyuga dinner party:_

_You will be required to wear a gold-colored tuxedo on the date of the party._

_You will be required to solve a random puzzle as indicated by the host, prior to the date of the party._

_You will be required to correctly answer one random riddle upon arrival at the door, on the date of the party._

_You will be required to keep the above conditions a secret from all others outside of the party's host and the representative who provided you with this invitation._

_Any deviation from these stipulations will result in you being ineligible for attendance._

Slowly, Naruto folded the invitation into its original shape. "This is going to be trickier than I thought…"

**OoOoO**

"Kabuto-san…have you delivered that invitation to Naruto-kun's home?" Neji asked the retainer as they stepped out of the limousine, outside the Hyuga mansion, upon their arrival.

"As previously instructed, Neji-sama," Kabuto nodded affirmation.

"Good man," Neji replied, patting Kabuto's shoulder. "And all the specific instructions were placed in that invitation, as I had advised?"

"Right down to the last letter, Neji-sama," said Kabuto.

"Very well." Neji nodded. _So now, we have one month to see how that will turn out…if Naruto-kun fails in even one particular, then he will be made a mockery for all to witness. Let's see you get out of this one, this time, eh, Naruto-kun?_ And he managed to restrain himself from letting out a chuckle.

**OoOoO**

END CHAPTER 22

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NEON MAJESTIC: So Naruto has exactly one month to fulfill the conditions in the invitation that's been sent to him from the Hyuga home…but what will he do to satisfy the requirements? Will be able to do it without enlisting help from anyone else?

Now, to other matters…I got a couple of reviews that basically complained about the lack of association between Naruto and Hinata, even though the story is tagged as a NaruHina fic, and which also pointed out that there seems to be more basis for NaruIno. Well, as I had previously indicated, Naruto and Ino will not be a couple in this story—but I do admit that their interactions were largely based on other fics on this site that I'd been reading prior to starting this story. Besides which, I had it in mind, following Chapter 10 of this very same story, that if anything was going to happen between Naruto and Hinata, it was going to happen gradually, not magically appear out of nowhere. Real relationships don't work like that—they take time to build and develop. Still, Naruto's conversation with Sai in this chapter may well soothe the fears of the NaruHina shippers, and don't worry, you'll get to see more Hinata in upcoming chapters.

Now, as one sub-plot continues in the background, another comes to the foreground…next chapter, the Uchiha Zaibatsu Invitational Tournament's next round picks up speed! Chapter 23 is up next!


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